The relationship between infants’ and parents’ electronic media contact and daily lifestyle with number of siblings

Abstract

 The present study aimed to clarify the relationship between the actual condition of infants’ and parents’ electronic media contact and daily lifestyle with how many siblings infants had. An anonymous survey was conducted by mail of parents of infants attending authorized nursery schools. Responses were received from 150 households. Data on electronic media contact time were collected, and question items were analyzed using IBM SPSS. Infants’ average electronic media contact time was 61.2 minutes on weekdays and 87.0 minutes on holidays. Seventy percent of infants’ electronic media contact was within one hour, which is the time recommended by the World Health Organization. About 50% of the infants without siblings were exposed to electronic media for more than two hours. Concerning parents’ smartphone use during child-rearing, regardless of the number of siblings, 80% was for taking pictures, and 50% was for searching for information. The use of smartphones to keep children quiet increased as the number of children increased. Infants without siblings tended to be exposed to electronic media for longer periods of time, suggesting the importance of educating parents of infant-age children about the importance of avoiding prolonged exposure to electronic media from an early stage in their children’s lives.