Parental Perceptions of Screen Time vs. Educational Value

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Megha Iyer

Independent Researcher

Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Over the past decade, the ubiquity of digital devices in children’s lives has prompted heated debate among parents, educators, and policymakers regarding the balance between recreational screen time and educational use. This study investigates how parents perceive—and negotiate—the dual role of screen‑based activities as both potential distractors and potent learning tools. Using a mixed‑methods design, we surveyed 450 parents of children aged 6–14 across urban and suburban contexts to quantify attitudes toward different types of screen usage: purely entertainment, mixed entertainment–education, and dedicated educational applications. Complementing the survey, in‑depth interviews with 30 parents illuminated the underlying rationales, anxieties, and decision‑making processes informing screen‑time rules in the home. Quantitative findings reveal that while 78 percent of parents express concern over excessive recreational screen time, 65 percent recognize significant learning benefits from curated educational apps and programs. Notably, higher parental education and instructive mediation style emerged as strong predictors of greater allowances for educational screen time. Qualitative data underscore a nuanced negotiation between fears of reduced physical activity and socialization, and hopes for improved academic skills, digital literacy, and family bonding. Parents shared concrete strategies—from time limits and content filtering to co‑viewing and guided “screen homework”—that reflect a dynamic, context‑sensitive approach to media management. Our findings highlight parents’ desire for clear, credible guidance from schools, app developers, and child‑development experts to help them make informed choices. By mapping parental perceptions in rich detail, this study provides a foundation for collaborative efforts to design, evaluate, and disseminate high‑quality educational media. Recommendations include the creation of standardized app‑evaluation frameworks, school‑led workshops for families, and user‑friendly parental dashboards to monitor both learning outcomes and well‑being indicators. Future longitudinal research is needed to assess how these mediation practices influence children’s academic trajectories, mental health, and social skills over time.

Keywords

Parental attitudes; screen time; educational technology; digital literacy; mixed‑methods

References

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