Screen Use Among Preschool Children in the Galle Municipal Council Area: Prevalence, Patterns, and Associated Factors from Parents’ Perspectives

Abstract

Prolonged screen exposure during early childhood has been linked to negative developmental, behavioural, and health consequences. With increasing access to electronic screen devices in Sri Lanka, understanding usage patterns among pre-school-aged children is essential for guiding parental awareness and public health interventions. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence, usage patterns, andassociated factors of screen use among preschool-aged children in the Galle municipal council area. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 196 parents of three to five-year-old preschoolaged children. Data were collected using a self-designed, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire, which underwent content validation by a panel of five experts in the area. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact tests were performed using SPSS version 26, with p<0.05 as statistical significance. Among the preschool children, the majority were girls (53.6%) and five years old (42.9%), with most living in nuclear families (63.8%). Among them, 34.2% exceeded the WHO-recommended screen time limits. Smartphones (48.9%) and televisions (46.8%) were the most used devices. Most children (65.8%) used screens for less than an hour, but 34,2% were overusing them. Significant associations with screen overuse were found for children’s gender (p=0.001), family type (p=0.002), living arrangements (p = 0.001), parental age (p = 0.001), employment status (p = 0.001), and number of children in a family (p = 0.001). In conclusion, a considerable proportion of pre-school children in the Galle Municipal Council area are exposed to excessive screen time. Interventions focusing on parental education and behaviour modelling are recommended to promote healthy screen use practices.