Investigation of the relationship between problematic media use and peer play behaviors in children

In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between problematic media use and peer play behaviors of children aged 4-7 years. For this purpose, predictive correlational research model, one of the quantitative research approaches, was used. The study group of the research consists of 351 parents selected by snowball sampling method. Personal Information Form, Problematic Media Use Measure, Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale were used as data collection tools. In this study, problematic media use and peer play behaviors were examined in terms of age, gender, number of siblings, preschool education status, mother's age, father's age, mother's education level, father's education level, mother's employment status, visual media tool and age of first use of visual media tool. As a result of the data analysis, significant differences were observed in children's problematic media use according to the visual media tool and the age of first use of the visual media tool. In children's interactive peer play behaviors, significant differences were found in the sub-dimension of game disruption according to the number of siblings, in all sub-dimensions according to the status of receiving preschool education, in the sub-dimensions of game disruption and game disruption according to the age of parents, and in the sub-dimensions of game disruption and game interaction according to the visual media tool. It was found that there was a low and significant relationship between children's problematic media use and interactive gaming behaviors (R= 0.39; R2 = 0.15; p < .05). Children's interactive gaming behaviors together explain 15% of the change in problematic media use level. The relative order of the game behaviors that are effective on children's problematic media use is; disconnection from the game (β = .29; p < .05) and game disruption (β = .16; p < .05).