If you were dismayed at the amount of screen time your child was getting during the last pandemic school lockdown, you are not alone.

A new study led by researchers at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital’s research institute surveyed 414 families and found that screen time for children increased by more than three hours per day during the school lockdown.

“Increases in screen use by children can be associated with negative outcomes including increased social isolation and physical activity,” says Dr. Azadeh Kushki, who is the principal investigator of the study and a senior scientist with the Bloorview Research Institute’s, Autism Research Centre. “The pandemic has changed that thinking. We are seeing that, for many families, technology is playing an increasingly important role in education and connecting with others during the lockdown.”

Dr. Kushki, along with her research team, was interested in seeing what the changes in screen time were during the pandemic school closures last spring and what the impacts of increased screen time were on children and families. They were particularly interested to learn about the screen time experiences of children and youth with autism.

The research team designed an anonymous online survey that was shared with parents and caregivers of children and youth 19 years and younger in Canada through social media and email lists. Four hundred and forty-four responses from parents and caregivers of children and youth with and without autism completed the survey last year from May to July. The survey asked parents about their child’s screen habits with their electronic devices (computer/tablet/TV/phone/gaming system) before and during the pandemic. The survey also polled the caregivers and parents on their perceptions of their child’s screen use and how they felt it impacted their kid’s quality of life and mental health.

This study is the first of its kind to examine the change in screen time among children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Findings

The study found significant increases in screen time during the pandemic for children and youth with autism, with an average increase of 3.8 hours on weekdays and 1.5 hours on weekends. Similar increases in screen time were also observed for children and youth without ASD.

The researchers found that the impact of screen time on kids’ mental health and quality of life was mixed, with parents of kids with and without autism reporting positive and negative impacts in nearly equal measure. The likelihood of negative impacts from screen time was associated with higher amounts of total screen time during the pandemic, particularly the amount of time spent playing video games and watching videos. However, when children used digital devices to connect with friends and families through social media, play educational games, or use therapeutic apps, this activity was associated with a more positive impact.

Parents of kids with and without autism also reported similar benefits of screen time for their children’s social connectedness, education, and play. However, children without autism had a higher likelihood of benefiting from screen time to cope with social isolation.

“These findings suggested that screen time can have a positive effect for some children’s education as well as their social and mental wellbeing when in-person options are limited,” says Robyn Cardy, first author of the study and a research manager at the Bloorview Research Institute. “However, it is important for parents to balance their child’s screen time with other physical and social activities. They should also, of course, continue to monitor their children’s social media activities to ensure they are cyber-safe.”

Recommendations

Cardy believes that the study highlights the need for screen time recommendations to be revised to reflect the current needs of children and families. Currently, there aren’t any national guidelines on screen use during the pandemic, when digital devices are a main source for education, play, and social connection for children and families.

The study, Characterizing Changes in Screen Time During the COVID19 Pandemic School Closures in Canada and Its Perceived Impact on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, was published in August online in the journal, Frontiers in Psychiatry.