Impact of Sociodemographic Factors on Screen Time Use Among Early Adolescents

Introduction: Adolescence is a formative period of life and the ideas developed in this period are usually carried over to life. The digital revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic have made the use of screens rampant and excessive. Thus, it is imperative to study screen time in adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted among early adolescents(10-13 years) over a period of one year. After obtaining the ascent from children and informed consent from parents, the data was collected on a predesigned performa which included questions on demographic characteristics. By using the recall approach, information about screen time duration, content, and screen kinds (television, smartphones, computers, tablets, and video games) was gathered. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22. The p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 11.25 (1.11) years and the mean screen time was 144.24 (73.14) minutes. The male: female ratio was 1.74:1. A significant correlation was found between screen time and the place of living (ꭓ2 =9.372, p-value = 0.025), and the type of family (ꭓ2 =39.157, p-value <0.0001). No significant correlation was found between screen time and other demographic characteristics like age, gender, socioeconomic status, religion, maternal education, and maternal occupation. Conclusion: The COVID-19 era has unleashed the effects of superfluous screen time on everybody. This new issue of the digital era, the rise in screen usage by adolescents, demands family, societal, and medical interventions.