Parental Neglect in Managing Smart Media Use and Its Association with Children’s Socio-Developmental Problems
Keywords:
Parental neglect, Smart media consumption, Social-developmental problems, Parental supervision, Autistic-like symptoms, Tehran children, Neurodevelopmental risk factorsAbstract
This study aimed to explain the role of parental neglect in managing smart media use and its association with socio-developmental problems and pseudo-autistic symptoms in children in Tehran. This quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 300 children aged 3–10 years in Tehran. Data were collected via parent-reported measures assessing screen time, type of digital device, parental monitoring and neglect, socio-developmental problems, and risk indicators of pseudo-autistic symptoms, and analyzed using Pearson and Spearman correlations, ANOVA, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression. Parental neglect showed a strong positive correlation with socio-developmental problems (r=0.644, p<0.001) and was a significant predictor of these problems (β=0.530, p<0.001). Parental neglect and screen time significantly predicted pseudo-autism risk (R²=0.276, p<0.001), with significant group differences across neglect levels (F=70.05, p<0.001). Parental neglect substantially amplifies the adverse developmental effects of unmanaged smart media use, underscoring the necessity of family-based interventions and parental media literacy programs.
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