Citation

Coyne SM, Holmgren HG, Shawcroft JE, Barr R, Davis E, Ashby S, Stockdale L, Domoff S. Technol. Mind Behav. 2022; 3(4).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/tmb0000093

PMID

37908683

PMCID

PMC10617637

Abstract

Researchers have begun to extensively examine pathological (or addictive-like) media use during adolescence and adulthood. However, few studies have examined precursors to these types of behavior (termed problematic media use) in early childhood, with even fewer examining predictors of this behavior over time. The current longitudinal study examined bi-directional associations between television content (educational, prosocial, and violence) and problematic media use over a 1-year period during early childhood. Participants included 443 children (M age at Wave 1 = 29.68 months) and their parents.

RESULTS revealed that early educational media was protective against developing problematic media use over time. However, early problematic media use was not predictive of future media content choices longitudinally. Additionally, problematic media use was moderately stable over time. Implications for parents and policy makers regarding the importance of early media content for later outcomes and consideration of media use trajectories are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

longitudinal; addiction; early childhood; educational media; Problematic media; television