Uso de telas na infância: um levantamento da cidade de João Pessoa/PB

Abstract

Childhood is the phase that contributes most to the development of cognition, language and sensory skills, and is directly related to the quality of the other phases of life. Currently, the use of screens is one of the major health concerns of these individuals, considering the risks associated with inadequate exposure to electronic devices. Health centers seek strategies to contain these harmful effects and recommend that this practice be controlled and supervised, defending the importance of knowing the profiles of use made by these children, as well as the levels of parental supervision. This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study, with the general objective of outlining the profile of screen use by children in João Pessoa. Specifically, the objectives are: (1) To identify the average daily time that children spend using screens; (2) To detect which devices with electronic screens are most used by the sample; (3) To identify the main contexts in which children use screens; (4) To analyze the frequency of parental supervision in the use of screens by children. The study sample consisted of 205 participants, who were mothers or fathers of children of both sexes, aged between 0 and 12 years old. A sociodemographic questionnaire and a "Uso de telas" questionnaire were used. Data analysis indicated that children consume devices with screens for longer periods than the recommendations suggest, with television and smartphones accounting for the majority of interactions, demonstrating the importance of understanding more about the consumption scenarios of these electronic devices.