Electronic device usage among preschool children and its association with mental health status in Saudi Arabian kindergartens.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of electronic device usage and its association with mental health status among preschool children aged 3-6 years.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among preschool children aged 3-6 years in kindergartens in Makkah city in 2023-2024, using an electronic questionnaire. An Arabic version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to assess mental health.

RESULTS: We recruited a total of 399 children. The prevalence of electronic device usage was 91.5%. The number of hours spent using electronic devices ranged from 0 to 12 hour (h)/day, with a mean of 3.1 h/day. We found a significant positive correlation between the number of hours spent using electronic devices and emotional problems (r=0.200, p <0.001), conduct problems (r=0.149, p =0.003), hyperactivity (r=0.279, p <0.001), peer problems (r=0.104, p =0.038), and total difficulty scores (r=0.263, p <0.001). We also found a significant negative correlation between the number of hours spent using electronic devices and the prosocial score (r= -0.128, p =0.011), and most of the included children had scores within the "close to average" category across all scales of mental health status.

CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of electronic device usage among preschool children, which exceeded the recommended time limit. A significant correlation was observed between electronic device use and mental health scores. Further longitudinal studies are required to understand the nature of this association and its implications for child development.