Peer-reviewed article
Questionnaires Used to Explore the Perspectives of Parents and Health Professionals on Young Children's Use of Technology: Systematic Review.
Lund Rasmussen C, Au IPH, Hendry D, Beynon A, Stearne S et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined questionnaires used to measure parents' and health professionals' perspectives on technology use by children aged birth to 5 years. Across 85 studies involving parents, researchers found that most questionnaires had poor validity and limited psychometric testing. Parents generally saw digital devices as beneficial for learning but worried about negative effects on children's physical health, emotions, and behavior. The review concludes that better-quality measurement tools are needed to help families make informed decisions about young children's technology use.
Key points
- 85 studies were included, all involving parents; no studies investigated health professionals' perspectives
- 62 of 85 studies (73%) had methodological quality scores below acceptable thresholds
- Only 15 of 52 studies reporting psychometric properties reported more than one measure of validity or reliability
- Parents recognized educational benefits of digital devices but expressed concerns about impacts on physical health, emotions, and behaviors
- High-quality questionnaires are needed to generate stronger evidence for supporting family decision-making on technology use
Limitations
This is a systematic review of measurement instruments and parental perspectives rather than an evaluation of an intervention for a specific problem. The review cannot tell us about the actual impacts of technology on young children's development or health outcomes, only about how parents and professionals perceive these impacts.
Abstract
Background Technology is integrated into many children's daily lives, with parents' and health professionals' perspectives shaping children's technology use. Measuring and understanding these perspectives are essential for developing strategies for supporting adults in decision-making that help children thrive in a digital world. Objective This systematic review aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of questionnaires used to assess parents' and health professionals' perspectives on young children's use of technology related to health, well-being, and development. The secondary aim was to synthesize findings on these perspectives. Methods Peer-reviewed papers published between January 2010 and September 2024 were identified through searches in 7 electronic databases. Studies were included if they examined parental or health care professionals' perspectives on technology use among children aged birth to 5 years. Two reviewers (CLR and IPHA) independently conducted the data extraction and study quality assessment. Reported psychometric properties of the questionnaires were synthesized. Deductive thematic analysis was used to explore the content focus of the questionnaire used in the included studies and synthesize the reported perspectives. Results In total, 85 studies were included, all involving parents. No study investigated health professionals' perspectives. The methodological quality of the studies was generally low, with 62 studies scoring below the threshold for acceptable quality. In total, 52 studies reported psychometric properties of the questionnaires used, of which, only 15 studies reported more than 1 measure of validity or reliability. A total of 75 studies reported participants' perspectives on children's technology use. Findings revealed that parents generally supported the role of digital devices in enhancing learning but expressed concerns about potential negative impacts on children's physical health, emotions, and behaviors. Conclusions Parents' perspectives on children's technology use were frequently assessed through questionnaires, though the validity of these questionnaires was often poor, with limited psychometric testing. Parental perspectives were mixed with educational benefits being recognized, while countered with concerns about the impact on children's physical health and development. High-quality questionnaires are needed to generate stronger evidence informing strategies to support families in technology use decision-making with and for children.