Knowledge is power: Relationship between professional recommendations, maternal attitudes, and screen time exposure of infants

Purpose: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend infants avoid screen media exposure, yet most infants are regularly exposed. This study aimed to explore screen exposure, maternal attitudes regarding screen media effects, and pediatricians' recommendations to better understand widespread screen media use with infants younger than 18 months of age in hopes of informing mitigation efforts. Design and methods: Surveys consisting of 10 Likert-style questions were distributed real-time to a purposive sample of 193 mothers with infants 18 months of age or younger in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Results: Seventy-nine percent of infants exceeded AAP/WHO guidelines and 61% of respondents couldn't recall receiving pediatrician recommendations regarding screen exposure for their infant. Mothers with higher levels of education were associated with an accurate reflection of the adverse effects of screen usage on infant development (ANOVA; F = 10.122; df = 3; p < .001). Accurate maternal attitudes regarding adverse effects on infants was associated with less daily screen exposure (Spearman correlation; r = −0.428; p < .001). Conclusions: Findings suggest that knowledge about adverse side effects of screen media usage with infants is associated with less daily exposure; and, that pediatricians may not routinely review guidelines for infants with their families, underscoring the importance of other methods of knowledge dissemination. Practice implications: Nurses, as trusted healthcare providers, can provide counseling on infant screen media usage creating an opportunity for augmented knowledge dissemination across maternal demographics potentially leading to less screen exposure in this vulnerable population.