Screen use and internet addiction among parents of young children: A nationwide Canadian cross-sectional survey

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 1; p. e0257831
• Main Authors: Dennis, Cindy-Lee, Carsley, Sarah, Brennenstuhl, Sarah, Brown, Hilary K, Marini, Flavia, Bell, Rhonda C, Miller, Ainsley, Ravindran, Saranyah, D'Paiva, Valerie, Dol, Justine, Birken, Catherine S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 31-01-2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Addictions; Adult; Bedrooms; Behavior; Behavior, Addictive - complications; Behavior, Addictive - pathology; Biology and Life Sciences; Canada; Cell Phone Use; Cellular telephones; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Computer and Information Sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Depression - complications; Electronic devices; Emotions; Engineering and Technology; Exercise; Factor analysis; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Hospitals; Humans; Impairment; Internet; Male; Meals; Medicine and Health Sciences; Mental health; Parent and child; Parents; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Pathological Internet Use; People and Places; Physical Sciences; Public health; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; Risk factors; Screen time; Screens; Social Sciences; Stress; Stress, Psychological; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; Technology application; Television; Time management; Validity; Canada
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257831

To establish the factorial structure and internal consistency of the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) in parents, the level and correlates of problematic internet use, and patterns and types of screen use.
Data were collected through an online questionnaire about preconception health among Canadian women and men with ≥1 child. The questionnaire included the IAT and questions about time spent on screens by device type, use of screens during meals and in the bedroom, and perceptions of overuse. Factor analysis was completed to determine the factorial structure of the IAT, with multivariable linear regression used to determine correlates of the IAT.
The sample included 1,156 respondents (mean age: 34.3 years; 83.1% female). The IAT had two factors: "impairment in time management" and "impairment in socio-emotional functioning" of which respondents had more impairment in time management than socio-emotional functioning. Based on the original IAT, 19.4% of respondents would be classified as having a mild internet use problem with 3.0% having a moderate or severe issue. In the multivariable model, perceived stress (b = .28, SE = .05, p < .001) and depressive symptoms (b = .24, SE = .10, p = .017) were associated with higher IAT scores. Handheld mobile devices were the most common type of screen used (mean = 3 hours/day) followed by watching television (mean = 2 hours/day).
Parents spent a significant portion of their time each day using screens, particularly handheld mobile devices. The disruption caused by mobile devices may hinder opportunities for positive parent-child interactions, demonstrating the need for resources to support parents ever-growing use of technologies.