Abstract
This questionnaire-based study was conducted to assess screen-based media use during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in children (n=278) aged between 1 to 12 years. Television was the most common media available for use (246, 88.5%), and mobile was the next most commonly available media (230, 82.7%). Daily screen time exposure and use of television (P<0.001), computer/Laptop (P<0.001), and tablet (P=0.001) were significantly more common in those aged 5–12 years. Majority (214, 76.9%) were using screen-based media for educational purposes.
Keywords: Children, Lockdown, Screen time
Contributors: RP,LJ,TA: conceived the study; RP,LJ,TA,KSR: collected data and performed statistical analysis; RP, LJ, KSR: reviewed the literature and drafted the initial version of the manuscript which was critically reviewed by TA. All authors contributed to drafting of the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Funding: None
Ethics clearance: AIIMS, Mangalagiri; IEC, No. AIIMS/MG/IEC/2020-21/48 dated Nov 01, 2020.
Competing interest; None stated.
Footnotes
Note: Additional material related to this study is available with the online version at https://www.indianpediatrics.net
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