The Italian Pediatric Society, via Gioberti 60, 00165 Rome, Italy.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 16;18(6):3048. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18063048.
Media device (MD) use is increasing worldwide among children. Adolescents and young children spend a lot of time using MD, Internet, and social networks. The age of initial use is getting lower to 12 years old. The aim of this research is to study children's use and perception of MD. The Italian Paediatric Society (SIP) conducted a Survey on Italian children in collaboration with Skuola.net using an online questionnaire. A total of 10,000 questionnaires were completed. Children admitted they spend more than 3 h (41%), more than 2 h (29%), more than 1 h (21%) and less than 1 h (9%) daily. Problematic MD use has been found with children using MD before sleeping (38%), during school (24%), and at wake up in the morning (21%). Addiction was documented in 14% of adolescents. Among the reported consequences, low academic outcomes, and reduced concentration (24%), neck and back pain (12%), insomnia (10%), and mood disturbances (7%) were referred. Adolescents may have a low perception of the risks related to excessive MD. The duration of time spent using media devices is a main risk factor. In this context, parents should strongly discourage excessive MD use, mainly during school, at bedtime, and wake-up. Additionally, parents should be informed and start conversations with their children on the potential negative effects of prolonged MD use.
媒体设备（MD）在全球范围内越来越多地被儿童使用。青少年和幼儿在使用 MD、互联网和社交网络上花费了大量时间。初始使用年龄已降至 12 岁以下。本研究旨在研究儿童对 MD 的使用和认知。意大利儿科协会（SIP）与 Skuola.net 合作，使用在线问卷对意大利儿童进行了调查。共完成了 10000 份问卷。孩子们承认他们每天花超过 3 小时（41%）、超过 2 小时（29%）、超过 1 小时（21%）和不到 1 小时（9%）。发现儿童在睡前（38%）、在学校（24%）和早上醒来（21%）时使用 MD 存在问题。14%的青少年有 MD 成瘾。报告的后果包括学习成绩下降和注意力不集中（24%）、颈部和背部疼痛（12%）、失眠（10%）和情绪障碍（7%）。青少年可能对过度使用 MD 相关的风险认知较低。使用媒体设备的时间长短是一个主要的风险因素。在这种情况下，父母应强烈劝阻过度使用 MD，主要是在学校、睡前和醒来时。此外，父母应该了解并与孩子就长时间使用 MD 的潜在负面影响进行沟通。
