ABSTRACT

The past few years have witnessed a rapid increase in children’s use of screen media. Despite the widespread use of technology in Saudi Arabia, research on screen media use among young children is scarce. This study provides a comprehensive picture of screen media use and literacy practices among 220 1- to 3-year-olds in Saudi Arabia. Findings showed that the vast majority of these children had started using screens before the age of 2 years. Saudi toddlers’ overall screen time was about 3 hours a day which exceeds screen time recommendations by the World Health Organization. Iftah Ya Simsim (the Arabic version of Sesame Street) was children’s favourite TV show, YouTube was their favourite mobile media app, and children’s songs were their most frequently viewed content type on mobile media. The amount of time toddlers spent with screens was higher than their engagement with reading. More than 40% of the children were never read to, and one quarter had no children’s books at home. Results of this study provide a better understanding of children’s screen use and reading practices; an important first step in guiding the development of research-driven recommendations for all stakeholders on the use of screens by young children.

IMPACT SUMMARY

• a. Prior State of Knowledge:

The early years are critical for development. Most existing data on digital media and literacy practices in early childhood comes from Western cultures. Research in other cultures is needed to broaden our global understanding of children’s literacy and media environments.

b. Novel Contributions:

This study contributes data on the home literacy and screen media use practices of young children in Saudi Arabia, a population that is under-represented in the literature on children’s media use.

c. Practical Implications:

Findings from this study indicate high engagement with media and low engagement with reading among Saudi toddlers. Understanding children’s literacy and media use practices is an important first step in guiding the development of research-driven recommendations for parents and policymakers.

摘要

过去几年见证了儿童对屏幕媒体的使用迅速增加。尽管技术在沙特阿拉伯得到广泛应用，但对幼儿屏幕媒体使用的研究却很少。本研究全面介绍了沙特阿拉伯 220 名 1 至 3 岁儿童的屏幕媒体使用和识字实践情况。调查结果显示，这些儿童中的绝大多数在 2 岁之前就开始使用屏幕。沙特幼儿的总体屏幕时间约为每天 3 小时，超过了世界卫生组织建议的屏幕时间。Iftah Ya Simsim（芝麻街的阿拉伯语版本）是孩子们最喜欢的电视节目，YouTube是他们最喜欢的移动媒体应用，而儿歌是他们在移动媒体上最常观看的内容类型。幼儿花在屏幕上的时间高于他们阅读的时间。超过 40% 的孩子从未读过书，四分之一的孩子家里没有儿童读物。这项研究的结果有助于更好地了解儿童的屏幕使用和阅读习惯；这是指导为所有利益相关者制定关于幼儿使用屏幕的研究驱动建议的重要第一步。

影响总结

• 一种。先前的知识状态：

早年对发展至关重要。大多数关于儿童早期数字媒体和识字实践的现有数据都来自西方文化。需要对其他文化进行研究，以扩大我们对儿童识字和媒体环境的全球理解。

湾。小说贡献：

这项研究提供了有关沙特阿拉伯幼儿的家庭识字和屏幕媒体使用实践的数据，该人群在儿童媒体使用文献中的代表性不足。

C。实际影响：

这项研究的结果表明，沙特幼儿对媒体的参与度很高，而阅读的参与度很低。了解儿童的读写能力和媒体使用实践是指导为父母和政策制定者制定研究驱动建议的重要的第一步。