Young children exposure to screens: parents' knowledge and social inequalities

Introduction. For many years, digital technology evolves and the time in front of the screens increases. Several studies showed the harmful impact of inappropriate screen use in young children on their health, particularly regarding the risk of overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess parents' knowledge about the consequences of inappropriate exposure to screens on the health of their children and to study the factors influencing this knowledge, especially by investigating social differentiation. Methods. Observational descriptive quantitative study by distributing questionnaires to parents of children aged 0 to 6 years over the year 2019, on 2 sites in the Ile-de-France region. A uni and then multivariate analysis was performed. Results. One hundred and sixty questionnaires were analysed. The average knowledge score was 10.72 out of 13. The most well-known items were the risks of attention and behavioural problems and social isolation. The elements least known were the absence of a link between screen and autism and the ignorance of the link between screen and obesity. Parents' knowledge was significantly related to their education level and in particular the father's degree (p=0.01). Household composition (siblings from different age groups) influenced the quantitative exposure to screens (p=0.035). Discussion. This study showed differences depending on the socioprofessional category of the parents, once again pointing to social inequalities in health. It also indicates that families composed of at least 2 children of different ages are important prevention targets. Information should be provided to all. However, the general practitioner should take a particular attention to awareness of families in precarious or large families.