Evaluation of media device usage habits among children between 6-60 months

Aim: The use of media devices has become widespread in the whole society. The introduction of media exposure at an early age carries significant risks for the health and development of new generations. In our study, it was aimed to investigate the frequency of using media devices for children between 6 and 6 months, age of first use, attitude, socioeconomic and educational levels of the family and contribute to the literature. Material and Method: A total of 308 parents who were admitted to pediatric outpatient clinic between January - June 2018 were included. The questionnaire consisting of 37 questions was applied to the parents by face-to-face interview technique. Results: The mean age of exposure to television for the first time was 11.93 ± 7.29 months. Average TV viewing time was 2.28 ± 1.79 in the last week. Of the families 82.2% mentioned that they used media to entertain children. There was no relationship between the use of media tools and income. Parents who taught the media tools to be educative had higher education levels (p <0.05). Conclusion: It is recommended that visual media tools should not be used in the first 2 years and should be used with supervision after the age of 2 with content restriction. Even in children under 12 months, the use of media devices were significantly higher regardless of the income and the duration of the parent's education. Pediatricians should cooperate with parents to establish a correct and effective relationship with visual media tools in childhood. Key words: Media, child, television, tablet, smartphone, computer