The Investigation of Screen-Viewing on Young Children: Before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of the current study is to investigate the use of screen in young children before and during the pandemic and the attitudes of mothers towards their children's screen-viewing time. To achieve this, 20 mothers who have children between 1.5 and 6 years-old included in the study. The design of this qualitative study is phenomenology to collect more extensive and rich descriptions of experiences. These mothers were selected through convenient sampling method and due to the Covid-19 pandemic; interviews were carried out with one-on-one phone call. 21 open-ended interview questions were used to get information about the participants' views and practices. The findings showed that there are differences between mothers' expectations and practices about the screen meeting of their children, they could not implement their expectations on their own children, and their children met the screen at an earlier age. Also, findings revealed that mothers are conscious about the influences of screen-viewing and it has both physical and behavioral consequences for their children.