Patterns in children's digital media use in early childhood and family factors: a network perspective

Abstract

Digital media use may be associated with adverse developmental outcomes and can be affected by individual, family, and sociodemographic factors. From a developmental perspective, this exploratory study investigates the relationships between maternal symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) and health orientation on digital media use in early childhood. Participants were 267 mothers of children up to 3 years of age and were divided into three subgroups: G1 (0–12 months of age; n = 84); G2 (13–24 months of age; n = 97); G3 (25–36 months of age; n = 86). According to comparative network analysis, maternal symptoms of CMD had a greater effect in G1 and were more strongly correlated with the context of use than with screen time. Health orientation on screen time has greater associations in G1 and reduces its correlations in G2 until it disconnects from the network in G3. Developmental differences in digital media use can be addressed when planning interventions.