Tempo de ecrã e funcionamento executivo de crianças entre 6-8 anos

Abstract

Theoretical Background: The digital emergency and the constant integration of the electronic devices, into children's daily routines, have raised several questions, especially about their impact on cognitive development and well-being dimensions. Previous studies have shown contradictory results and are focused on pre-school children. Therefore, this research aims to characterize the amount of time primary school children spend using different electronic devices and their relationship with the executive functions. Method: The sample consisted of 65 children aged 6 to 8years (M=7.1; SD=0.79), with 44.6% being male and 55.4% female, from a primary school in the Mafra region belonging to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (AML). The instruments used included parent reports and direct performance measures. To characterize the children's routines regarding the use of electronic devices, the QTEC was administered to parents, and the BRIEF was used to assess executive functions. To evaluate the attention and executive functioning of children from different screen time groups, the subtests of Signal Cancellation, Verbal Fluency, and Trails A and B subtests from the BANC were also administered. Results: The results reveal different patterns of screen time between weekdays and weekends, being higher on days free from school. Almost half of the sample has at least one personal device. There is a notable positive association between Television and the Planning and Metacognition Index subscales, and between Computer and the Monitoring subscale. The longer the exposure time to these devices, the greater the child's difficulties in planning actions, setting goals, monitoring their own thoughts/behaviors, as well as adapting their cognitive strategies to the challenges they face. After defining two groups, low and medium/high digital risk, significant differences were observed in the Signal Cancellation, Trails B, and Phonemic Verbal Fluency tasks, with worse performance in the group with more considerable digital exposure. Conclusions Our conclusions reveal that the WHO guidelines for screen time are not yet fully adhered to. Thus, our study corroborates previous data, confirming that Portuguese children between 6 and 8 years old with high screen time can struggle to maintain attention and monitor their self-regulation on cognitive tasks. The educational community should carefully assess the use and content of screen time for children at the beginning of their schooling.

Date of Award	30 Nov 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Joana Rodrigues Rato (Supervisor)