scholarly journals Screen-based media and young children: Review and recommendations

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
Catherine Thamarai Arumugam ◽  
Mas Ayu Said ◽  
Nik Daliana Nik Farid
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Media Habits

Early childhood development is influenced by a child’s environmental experiences. The qualities of surrounding in which a child lives, grows up and learns are key for attaining their milestones. Increased availability of screen-based media in families leads to excessive screen time among young children, resulting in high chances of displacing parent–child interaction which is fundamental in a thriving child’s process of learning and development. Numerous publications have investigated the potential health impacts of early exposure and excessive usage of screen-based media among children, with literature suggesting links between excessive screen time and behavioural difficulties, developmental delay and increased risk of obesity, among other issues. Existing guidelines from international bodies call for limiting screen time to an hour per day for children aged two to five years old and urge that children below the age of two should not be exposed to any screen time. To spark awareness among parents and caregivers concerning the potential health impacts of screen-based media usage among young children, child media habits are recommended to be incorporated as part of toddlers’ developmental assessment in health clinics. A guideline for mindful usage of screen-based media focusing on children below the age of five tailored to a Malaysian context ought to be developed based on current evidence from research, theory and practice. A collaborative effort between concerned agencies is essential to ensuring a developmentally stimulating environment in which young children may grow up.

scholarly journals The cultural spaces of young children: Care, play and learning patterns in early childhood among the Guji people of Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadesse Jaleta Jirata
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Rural Villages ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork ◽  
Learning Patterns ◽  
Cultural Spaces

In this article, I address African indigenous knowledge of early childhood development by discussing young children’s cultural spaces of care, play and learning among the Guji people of Ethiopia. I analyze practices in the cultural spaces of young children and show how participatory community-based care and learning are pivotal in the tradition of early childhood development in the Guji people. Furthermore, I present the features of play and learning traditions in which young children are social actors in sustaining social interaction and stability in their neighborhoods. My discussion is based on data drawn from 10 months ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the rural villages of the Guji people.

How We Fail Our Children Part I—The Caretaking Young Children Need

2020 ◽  
pp. 92-118
Author(s):  
Maxine Eichner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Family Policy ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Free Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
High Quality

A question for any thriving society is how to ensure that children have the things they need to do their best. Two different approaches, pro-family policy and free-market family policy, claim to satisfy children’s needs well. Countries with pro-family policy go out of their way to make it easy for parents to spend time with their children when kids most need it, as well as to provide them high-quality caretaking while parents work, and generous material support. In contrast, under free-market family policy, the United States expects parents to negotiate these conditions on their own, privately arranging for time off from work, reasonable work hours, caregiving while they work, and enough cash to support their kids. This chapter uses recent research on early childhood development to construct a list of the caretaking conditions that help young children thrive. It then considers the extent to which children receive these conditions under free-market family policy versus pro-family policy. Ultimately, it turns out that by far the biggest casualties of free-market family policy are our children.

scholarly journals Pathways to a more peaceful and sustainable world: The transformative power of children in families

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Pia R. Britto ◽  
Suna Hanöz-Penney ◽  
Liliana Angelica Ponguta ◽  
Diane Sunar ◽  
Ghassan Issa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Policy Advocacy ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Transformative Power

Abstract This article provides an overview of selected ongoing international efforts that have been inspired by Edward Zigler's vision to improve programs and policies for young children and families in the United States. The efforts presented are in close alignment with three strategies articulated by Edward Zigler: (a) conduct research that will inform policy advocacy; (b) design, implement, and revise quality early childhood development (ECD) programs; and (c) invest in building the next generation of scholars and advocates in child development. The intergenerational legacy left by Edward Zigler has had an impact on young children not only in the United States, but also across the globe. More needs to be done. We need to work together with a full commitment to ensure the optimal development of each child.

scholarly journals ‘Grandmother, aren’t you going to sing for us?’ Current childcare practices and caregivers’ perceptions of and receptivity to early childhood development activities in rural Burkina Faso

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. e001233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Hollowell ◽  
Mari Dumbaugh ◽  
Mireille Belem ◽  
Sylvain Kousse ◽  
Tessa Swigart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Media Intervention ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Children's Development ◽  
Children’S Development

IntroductionEffective stimulation and responsive caregiving during the first 2 years is crucial for children’s development. By age 3–4 years, over 40% of children in sub-Saharan Africa fail to meet basic cognitive or socioemotional milestones, but there are limited data on parenting and childcare practices. This study, conducted to inform the design of a mass media intervention, explored practices, perceptions, motivators and obstacles to childhood development-related practices among parents and caregivers of children aged 0–2 years in rural Burkina Faso.MethodsWe performed two rounds of six focus groups with 41 informants in two villages, using an adapted version of the Trials of Improved Practices methodology. These first explored beliefs and practices, then introduced participants to the principles and benefits of early childhood development (ECD) and provided illustrative examples of three practices (interactive ways of talking, playing and praising) to try with their children. One week later, further discussions explored participants’ experiences and reactions. Data were analysed inductively using thematic content analysis.ResultsExisting activities with young children were predominantly instructive with limited responsive interaction and stimulation. Participants were receptive to the practices introduced, noted positive changes in their children when they adopted these practices and found engagement with children personally rewarding.ConclusionInteractive, stimulating activities with young children did not appear to be widespread in the study area, but caregivers were receptive to information about the importance of early stimulation for children’s development. ECD messages should be tailored to the local sociocultural context and consider time limitations.

scholarly journals Knowledge of child development in the interface of theory and practice in foundation phase teacher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Ragpot
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Course Content ◽  
School Classroom ◽  
Pre Service Teacher Education ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

How the child develops and learns should be an integral part of pre-service teacher education programmes. This article argues that for foundation phase teachers to teach young children effectively, course content in initial teacher education (TE) should cultivate a thorough understanding of the developing child by infusing theories of childhood development into coursework and practicum. To strengthen this argument, the article gives examples of international TE programmes which recognise that child development should take preference in these programmes. However, for the future teacher to really know the developing child and how to intervene when optimal development is not in place, the theories on child development taught in coursework need to be done in tandem with practical work in a school classroom. This theory–practice interface in initial TE could be optimally supported in a foundation phase pre-service TE programme, which utilises a university-affiliated teaching school as site for practical cross articulation of coursework theory.

scholarly journals Screen time and early childhood development in Ceará, Brazil: a population-based study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha ◽  
Luciano Lima Correia ◽  
Álvaro Jorge Madeiro Leite ◽  
Márcia Maria Tavares Machado ◽  
Ana Cristina Lindsay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Cluster Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Exposure

Abstract Background Globally, children’s exposure to digital screens continues to increase and is associated with adverse effects on child health. We aimed to evaluate the association of screen exposure with child communication, gross-motor, fine-motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development scores. Methods We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study with cluster sampling among children 0–60 months of age living in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Child screen time was assessed by maternal report and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations were used to define excessive screen time exposure. Child development was assessed with the Brazilian Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Generalized linear regression was used to determine the association of screen exposure with developmental outcomes. We also examined the potential non-linear relationship of screen time with development scores using spline analyses. Results A total of 3155 children 0–60 months of age had screen time exposure evaluated and 69% percent were identified as exposed to excessive screen time. This percentage of excess screen time increased with child age from 41.7% for children 0–12 months to 85.2% for children 49–60 months. Each additional hour of screen time was associated with lower child communication (standardized mean difference (SMD): -0.03; 95% CI: − 0.04, − 0.02), problem solving (SMD: -0.03; 95% CI: − 0.05, − 0.02) and personal-social (SMD: -0.04; 95% CI: − 0.06, − 0.03) domain scores. Conclusions Excess screen time exposure was highly prevalent and independently associated with poorer development outcomes among children under 5 years of age in Ceará, Brazil.

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