Estratégias parentais para minimizar o uso exagerado de telas por adolescentes.

Abstract

In recent years, technological advances and the use of multiple screens have increased significantly among all age groups, including children and adolescents. Although technology offers quick access to information and facilitates communication, excessive and unsupervised use can become vicious and inappropriate. Parental supervision is therefore essential to mediate access to the internet by adolescents, as parents influence the uses and meanings their children attribute to media, including the internet. Objective: To verify the parental strategies used to minimize the excessive use of screens by adolescents. Materials and Methods: This is a cross­sectional, observational study with descriptive procedures, carried out in the municipality of Cuité/Paraíba, between January and March 2024 with the parents and/or guardians of adolescents aged between 10 and 19. A questionnaire designed in Google Forms was applied, disseminated and forwarded via social media using the Snow Ball Sampling technique and the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) software. Results: Thirty­five guardians collaborated in the study, the majority of whom were female, married and aged between 30 and 40. The type of screen most used by adolescents was the cell phone (77.1%), with screen time of between 1 and 3 hours a day (45.7%). Among the changes that guardians pointed out when adolescents spent more time on screens, the majority reported stress, isolation and lack of attention. As for the strategies described to minimize screen time, the most cited were: talking, studying, playing soccer, setting schedules and 4% said they didn't use any strategies. Conclusions: The parental strategies identified ranged from encouraging studies, sports, games and conversations to setting specific times for screen use. On the other hand, many parents reported a lack of effective strategies, indicating a greater need for awareness and education on the subject.