Parents’ Perception of Children’s Screen Time and Technology Use

Abstract

Screen time is being highly prevalent in children's development but minimal research focuses on parents’ perceptions of screen time use. This paper sought to investigate how parents think technology use affects children's mental health, academic success, relationships, and other vital aspects of childhood. Fifty parents from the greater Los Angeles area were surveyed about parents and their attitudes of how technology use affects their children, as well as children generally. Parents were relatively accurate when estimating screen time use of their children in comparison to that of the average child. Additionally, it was found that parents would like their children to use technology less than they currently do due to the negative effects they perceive technology has. These findings allow parents to formulate more effective screen time limitations for their children while understanding the possible bias they may have.