J Korean Med Sci.  2019 Oct;34(41):e263. 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e263.

Trends in Digital Media Use in Korean Preschool Children

• Lee DY
• Roh HW
• Kim SJ
• Park EJ
• Yoo H
• Suh S
• Shin Y

• KMID: 2460923
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e263

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Children today are exposed to various media devices, and their usage of these is increasing. Prior studies have outlined forms of harm this can potentially cause. However, there has been little empirical research on the use of media devices among preschool children in Asia. The aim of this study was to examine and analyze longitudinal trends in media device use among Korean preschool children, focusing on the frequency of engagement, time spent with, and ownership of media devices, delineated by sex.
METHODS
Four hundred parents of children aged 2-5 years were invited to enroll. The baseline assessment, Wave 1, was conducted between December 2015 and June 2016, and follow-up assessments, Wave 2 and Wave 3, were conducted annually for the following 2 years. Time of media use, frequency of media use, and ownership of media devices (TV, tablet PCs, and smartphones) were investigated.
RESULTS
Ownership of tablet PCs increased significantly between Wave 1 and Wave 3 for boys and girls (corrected P < 0.001). Frequency of media use increased significantly between Wave 1 and Wave 3 only in boys' use of tablet PCs (mean difference 0.8 day/wk). Time of media use increased significantly between Wave 1 and Wave 3 for both sexes in all devices, measured by mean difference on weekdays and weekends (TV by 0.6 and 0.7 hr/day, tablet PCs by 0.6 and 0.8 hr/day, and smartphones by 0.4 and 0.4 hr/day). Children spent more time using media devices during weekends than on weekdays.
CONCLUSION
This study observed an increase in the tendency of media device use among preschool children in Korea. The patterns of use indicate that paying attention to the types of devices children use is needed, as well as vigilance on weekends.

Keyword

Digital Media; Media Use; Trend, Preschool Children

MeSH Terms

Asia
Child
Child, Preschool*
Empirical Research
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Korea
Ownership
Parents
Smartphone