Parents' perceptions of the impact of watching television on the behavior of children aged 2 to 4

Abstract

In order to succeed in life, it's important for children to develop both mentally and physically at about the same rate. Today's children live in a world where television programs and commercials influence many of their experiences. Early exposure to television may have an impact on a child's cognitive and social development. This study intended to investigate parents' viewpoints on their children's television watching habits as well as the impact of television viewing on children’s. The practices they follow for children aged 2-4 in Dhaka city. This study seeks to explore this topic by asking these research questions. A) What are parents' perceptions on their children's television viewing habits? B) What are parents understanding of behavioral changes that caused by children's television viewing. The goal of this study was to find out how parents in Dhaka city experience television viewing and what they do to control it for their children ages 2 to 4. A qualitative research approach was used in this study. Data were collected through FGD and IDI guidelines. A total of 12 parents were selected for this study. Of which, 6 of the parents were randomly selected for IDI and 6 were randomly selected for FGD. Data were manually analyzed after the interviews were conducted. Data were organized and managed by transcription and presented in two themes and several sub-themes. It was found that the parents are aware of the potential consequences of excessive screen time for their children. Long-term television viewing has been linked to issues with sleep, attention, and aggressive behavior of children. It was recommended that children be allowed no more than two hours on the television. Parents said that engaging their children in a variety of art and craft hobbies, indoor activities, and play, as well as time spent outside, should help mitigate the situation.