{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T19:49:19Z","timestamp":1791488959065,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":57,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Pediatr Parent"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Screen time (ST) is the time spent using screen-based devices and has become a global health concern. Excessive ST negatively impacts children\u2019s health and development; however, it has been increasing dramatically among young children. Parents are the primary caregivers responsible for monitoring children\u2019s ST. Therefore, identifying potential barriers and their attributes is fundamental to taking early action.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n The study aimed to assess barriers to reducing excessive ST and the factors associated with these barriers among mothers of under-five children in Woliso City Administration, Central Ethiopia.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 10, 2024, through February 29, 2024. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select 423 mothers of under-five children. EpiData (version 3.1) was used for data entry, and SPSS (version 20) was used for analysis. Linear regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with barriers to reducing ST. The multiple linear regression assumptions were checked, and statistical significance was declared at\n P<\/jats:italic>\n <.05 with 95% CIs.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n A total of 423 participants were involved in this study (a 100% response rate). The mean score of barriers among mothers was 4.28 (SD 1.04). Educational status of the mother (\u03b2=\u22120.130, 95% CI \u22120.255 to \u22120.004), child\u2019s ST (\u03b2=0.369, 95% CI 0.328-0.409), parental attitude (\u03b2=\u22120.382, 95% CI 0.264-0.499), parental perceptions of the effect of ST on cognitive well-being (\u03b2=0.021, 95% CI 0.009-0.034), parental restrictive practices regarding ST (\u03b2=\u22120.011, 95% CI \u22120.004 to \u22120.018), and availability of public facilities (\u03b2=0.849, 95% CI 0.759-0.940) were shown to have a significant association with parental barriers.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Most mothers of under-five children experienced 4 barriers to reducing ST. The study also identified 6 factors associated with barriers to reducing ST, including level of education, attitudes toward ST, restrictive practices, perceptions of cognitive effects, children\u2019s ST, and lack of public facilities. Enhancing access to public spaces, implementing educational programs, and developing community initiatives are recommended to overcome these barriers and support healthy screen habits.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/100021","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T18:52:00Z","timestamp":1791485520000},"page":"e100021-e100021","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Barriers to Reducing Children\u2019s Screen Time and Associated Factors Among Mothers of Under-Five Children in Woliso City Administration, Oromia Ethiopia: Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6538-1380","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ababo","family":"Demeke","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5503-1360","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wubishet","family":"Gezimu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"reference":[{"issue":"8","key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1093\/pch\/pxx123","article-title":"Screen time and young children: promoting health and development in a digital world","volume":"22","author":"Ponti","journal-title":"Paediatr Child Health"},{"issue":"7","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"509","DOI":"10.1055\/a-1489-8049","article-title":"WHO guideline: physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep for children under 5 years of age [Article in German]","volume":"83","author":"Sommer","journal-title":"Gesundheitswesen"},{"key":"R3","unstructured":"Galagali PM Rathi NB Roy S Dutta S . Screen time guidelines for parents. In: Mission School Uday IAP Parenting Guidelines for Adolescents. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2022:20-27. URL: https:\/\/iapindia.org\/pdf\/Screentime-Guidelines-for-Parents-Ch-005.pdf [Accessed 24-09-2026]"},{"issue":"4","key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.1007\/s10567-023-00435-6","article-title":"Managing screen use in the under-fives: recommendations for parenting intervention development","volume":"26","author":"Morawska","journal-title":"Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev"},{"key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pmedr.2023.102214","article-title":"Correlates of screen time in the early years (0-5 years): a systematic review","volume":"33","author":"Veldman","journal-title":"Prev Med Rep"},{"issue":"1","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12966-017-0562-3","article-title":"Predictors of screen viewing time in young Singaporean children: the GUSTO cohort","volume":"14","author":"Bernard","journal-title":"Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act"},{"issue":"4","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0213995","article-title":"Screen-time is associated with inattention problems in preschoolers: results from the CHILD birth cohort study","volume":"14","author":"Tamana","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"1","key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-12-539","article-title":"Associations between factors within the home setting and screen time among children aged 0-5\u2009years: a cross-sectional study","volume":"12","author":"Carson","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"R9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12966-017-0541-8","article-title":"Prevalence, trajectories, and determinants of television viewing time in an ethnically diverse sample of young children from the UK","volume":"14","author":"Barber","journal-title":"Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act"},{"issue":"5","key":"R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"590","DOI":"10.1089\/chi.2015.0001","article-title":"Early childhood screen time and parental attitudes toward child television viewing in a low-income Latino population attending the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children","volume":"11","author":"Asplund","journal-title":"Child Obes"},{"issue":"6","key":"R11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19063560","article-title":"Determinants of excessive screen time among children under five years old in Selangor, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study","volume":"19","author":"Raj","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"R12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"316","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rpped.2015.11.001","article-title":"Physical activity and screen time in children and adolescents in a medium size town in the South of Brazil","volume":"34","author":"Greca","journal-title":"Rev Paul Pediatr"},{"key":"R13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ssmph.2023.101395","article-title":"Objectively measured infant and toddler screen time: findings from a prospective study","volume":"22","author":"Brushe","journal-title":"SSM Popul Health"},{"issue":"Suppl 2","key":"R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S482","DOI":"10.2188\/jea.je20090179","article-title":"Early television exposure and children\u2019s behavioral and social outcomes at age 30 months","volume":"20","author":"Cheng","journal-title":"J Epidemiol"},{"issue":"4","key":"R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"188","DOI":"10.25753\/birthgrowthmj.v29.i4.18378","article-title":"Screen time use in children less than five years old","volume":"29","author":"Ferreira","journal-title":"Nascer Crescer"},{"issue":"1","key":"R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjpo-2025-003493","article-title":"Excessive screen time and its associated factors among under-5 children in Woliso City Administration, Central Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study","volume":"10","author":"Demeke","journal-title":"BMJ Paediatr Open"},{"issue":"4","key":"R17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.1111\/jpc.13462","article-title":"Clinical and psychological effects of excessive screen time on children","volume":"53","author":"Domingues-Montanari","journal-title":"J Paediatr Child Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2018.5056","article-title":"Association between screen time and children's performance on a developmental screening test","volume":"173","author":"Madigan","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"issue":"6","key":"R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.40608","article-title":"Effects of excessive screen time on child development: an updated review and strategies for management","volume":"15","author":"Muppalla","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"issue":"1","key":"R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1177\/0002716207308400","article-title":"Childhood overweight and the relationship between parent behaviors, parenting style, and family functioning","volume":"615","author":"Rhee","journal-title":"Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci"},{"key":"R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-015-1793-3","article-title":"WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: associations between sleep duration, screen time and food consumption frequencies","volume":"15","author":"B\u00f6rnhorst","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"Suppl 2","key":"R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S92","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2016-1758J","article-title":"Digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence","volume":"140","author":"LeBourgeois","journal-title":"Pediatrics"},{"key":"R23","unstructured":"Digital Content Task Force. New screentime guidelines from the AAP 2016. ALSC Blog. Oct 24, 2016. URL: https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2016\/10\/new-screentime-guidelines-aap-2016\/ [Accessed 30-09-2026]"},{"issue":"1","key":"R24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.31436\/jop.v3i1.168","article-title":"A comparative study: impact of screen time on sleep quality among university students and school children","volume":"3","author":"Mohd Kamaruzihan","journal-title":"J Pharm"},{"issue":"5","key":"R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"502","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1475-1313.2011.00834.x","article-title":"Computer vision syndrome: a review of ocular causes and potential treatments","volume":"31","author":"Rosenfield","journal-title":"Ophthalmic Physiol Opt"},{"issue":"2","key":"R26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1097\/DBP.0000000000000630","article-title":"Mobile media device use is associated with expressive language delay in 18-month-old children","volume":"40","author":"van den Heuvel","journal-title":"J Dev Behav Pediatr"},{"key":"R27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.infbeh.2014.12.005","article-title":"Effects of television exposure on developmental skills among young children","volume":"38","author":"Lin","journal-title":"Infant Behav Dev"},{"issue":"6","key":"R28","first-page":"52","volume":"5","author":"Verma","journal-title":"Int Arch Integr Med"},{"issue":"4","key":"R29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"384","DOI":"10.1001\/jamapediatrics.2021.5778","article-title":"Association between screen time exposure in children at 1 year of age and autism spectrum disorder at 3 years of age: the Japan Environment and Children\u2019s Study","volume":"176","author":"Kushima","journal-title":"JAMA Pediatr"},{"key":"R30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Hiniker A Suh H Cao S Kientz JA . Screen time tantrums: how families manage screen media experiences for toddlers and preschoolers. In: CHI \u201916: Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Association for Computing Machinery; 2016:648-660. [doi: 10.1145\/2858036.2858278]","DOI":"10.1145\/2858036.2858278"},{"key":"R31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2333794X19878062","article-title":"Evaluation of children\u2019s screen viewing time and parental role in household context","volume":"6","author":"Nwankwo","journal-title":"Glob Pediatr Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"R32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1111\/bjhp.12168","article-title":"A psychosocial analysis of parents\u2019 decisions for limiting their young child\u2019s screen time: an examination of attitudes, social norms and roles, and control perceptions","volume":"21","author":"Hamilton","journal-title":"Br J Health Psychol"},{"issue":"2","key":"R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"368","DOI":"10.60099\/prijnr.2023.260440","article-title":"A program for parents\u2019 screen time reduction for preschool children: a quasi-experimental study","volume":"27","author":"Boonmun","journal-title":"Pac Rim Int J Nurs Res"},{"issue":"9","key":"R34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2638","DOI":"10.1007\/s10826-014-0066-6","article-title":"Exploring parents\u2019 beliefs about their young child\u2019s physical activity and screen time behaviours","volume":"24","author":"Hamilton","journal-title":"J Child Fam Stud"},{"issue":"5 Suppl","key":"R35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"21S","DOI":"10.1177\/1010539516638155","article-title":"Physical activity pattern of Malaysian preschoolers: environment, barriers, and motivators for active play","volume":"28","author":"Lee","journal-title":"Asia Pac J Public Health"},{"issue":"3","key":"R36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0301089","article-title":"Mothers\u2019 perspectives of the barriers and facilitators to reducing young children\u2019s screen time during COVID-19: a Reddit content analysis","volume":"19","author":"Blake","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"issue":"4","key":"R37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/25219","article-title":"Predictors of parental barriers to reduce excessive child screen time among parents of under-five children in Selangor, Malaysia: cross-sectional study","volume":"23","author":"Mansor","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"R38","unstructured":"United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Urbanization Prospects: the 2018 revision. United Nations; 2019. URL: https:\/\/www.un-ilibrary.org\/content\/books\/9789210043144 [Accessed 24-09-2026]"},{"key":"R39","unstructured":"Assessing internet development in Ethiopia: using UNESCO\u2019s internet universality ROAM-x indicators. UNESCO; 2025. URL: https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000393847\/PDF\/393847eng.pdf.multi [Accessed 24-09-2026]"},{"key":"R40","unstructured":"Kemp S . Digital 2025: Ethiopia. DataReportal. URL: https:\/\/datareportal.com\/reports\/digital-2025-ethiopia [Accessed 24-09-2026]"},{"issue":"2","key":"R41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0229522","article-title":"Self-reported physical activity status among adolescents in Debre Birhan town, Ethiopia: cross-sectional study","volume":"15","author":"Mohammed","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/21649561211017883","article-title":"Overweight\/obesity and associated factors among second cycle primary school children in Kirkos Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia","volume":"10","author":"Fitsum","journal-title":"Glob Adv Health Med"},{"key":"R43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pmedr.2017.04.015","article-title":"What mums think matters: a mediating model of maternal perceptions of the impact of screen time on preschoolers\u2019 actual screen time","volume":"6","author":"Hinkley","journal-title":"Prev Med Rep"},{"issue":"8","key":"R44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.1109\/LCOMM.2002.802067","article-title":"Partial transmit sequence arid selected mapping schemes to reduce ICI in OFDM systems","volume":"6","author":"Sathananthan","journal-title":"IEEE Commun Lett"},{"issue":"2","key":"R45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0088486","article-title":"Parenting style, the home environment, and screen time of 5-year-old children; the 'be active, eat right' study","volume":"9","author":"Veldhuis","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"issue":"1","key":"R46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1479-5868-8-102","article-title":"Are parental concerns for child TV viewing associated with child TV viewing and the home sedentary environment?","volume":"8","author":"Pearson","journal-title":"Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act"},{"key":"R47","unstructured":"Parker K Horowitz JM Rohal M . Parenting in America: outlook, worries, aspirations are strongly linked to financial situation. Pew Research Center; 2015. URL: https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/12\/2015-12-17_parenting-in-america_FINAL.pdf [Accessed 24-09-2026]"},{"issue":"3","key":"R48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"915","DOI":"10.1038\/s41390-023-02555-9","article-title":"Exploring the perception of parents on children\u2019s screentime: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies","volume":"94","author":"Chong","journal-title":"Pediatr Res"},{"issue":"3","key":"R49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"824","DOI":"10.1007\/s10826-020-01881-4","article-title":"Parenting and child behaviour barriers to managing screen time with young children","volume":"30","author":"Halpin","journal-title":"J Child Fam Stud"},{"issue":"23","key":"R50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph17238930","article-title":"Maternal education level and excessive recreational screen time in children: a mediation analysis","volume":"17","author":"Pons","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"R51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.appdev.2014.12.001","article-title":"Young children\u2019s screen time: the complex role of parent and child factors","volume":"36","author":"Lauricella","journal-title":"J Appl Dev Psychol"},{"issue":"1","key":"R52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12887-024-05367-w","article-title":"Associations between media parenting practices and early adolescent consumption of R-rated movies and mature-rated video games","volume":"25","author":"Nagata","journal-title":"BMC Pediatr"},{"key":"R53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/40955","article-title":"Stop and play digital health education intervention for reducing excessive screen time among preschoolers from low socioeconomic families: cluster randomized controlled trial","volume":"25","author":"Raj","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"key":"R54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-10-593","article-title":"Parental influences on child physical activity and screen viewing time: a population based study","volume":"10","author":"Smith","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"issue":"4","key":"R55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"381","DOI":"10.1037\/hea0000172","article-title":"Reducing youth screen time: qualitative metasynthesis of findings on barriers and facilitators","volume":"34","author":"Minges","journal-title":"Health Psychol"},{"key":"R56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.healthplace.2024.103341","article-title":"Neighborhood environments underpin screen time intervention success in children: evidence from a study of greenspace and community programming across 130 US communities","volume":"89","author":"Lang","journal-title":"Health Place"},{"key":"R57","unstructured":"Duraiappah A Mochizuki Y Sharma R . Screen time and learner well-being: the debate, the evidence and directions for future research and policy. a research brief by UNESCO MGIEP. UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO MGIEP); 2021. URL: https:\/\/unesdoc.unesco.org\/ark:\/48223\/pf0000377895 [Accessed 24-09-2026]"}],"container-title":["JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T18:52:03Z","timestamp":1791485523000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/pediatrics.jmir.org\/2026\/1\/e100021"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"references-count":57,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/100021","relation":{},"ISSN":["2561-6722"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2561-6722","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]]},"article-number":"v9i8e100021"}}