Use of hand screens and language development - parents' perception for the construction of an orientation booklet

Abstract

The use of hand screens by children is increasingly precocious and routine. Objective: to analyze the perception of parents about the use of hand screens by children and to elaborate a booklet about the beneficial use of screens. Method: parents/guardians of children aged between 18 and 71 months were invited to answer a questionnaire on the use of hand screens. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and percentage statistics. The parents' answers, the literature review on language development and the use of hand screens, the illustration by a designer and the analysis of three reviewers served as the basis for the construction of the booklet. The results analyzed on 102 responses showed that the use of handheld screens by children was 85.3%, with a time of use of up to 1 hour per day (64.3%) before the pandemic, with an increase of 1 more hour, after its start. The understanding of communication development is restricted to the use of speech (62.7%) for most parents. The booklet addressed language acquisition milestones and clarified about the time, content of the use of hand screens, in addition to presenting stimulation strategies. Conclusion: the use of screens by preschool children, regardless of the pandemic, was already frequent. Parents do not relate language delay and hand screens. The booklet brought clarifications and strategies on how to make them allies in language development.