According to researcher Danush Jayawardena, later-born children use screens for about one to 1.5 hours a week.
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A study conducted in Australia found that younger siblings generally spend more time on screens and less time on educational activities than their older siblings.
Younger siblings generally spend more time on screens and less time on educational activities than their older siblings, according to a study conducted in Australia by the Centre for Health Economics at Monash Business School.
A study conducted in Australia by the Centre for Health Economics at Monash Business School found that second- and third-born children spend nine and 14 minutes more screen time per day, respectively, than first-borns.
'While this may sound normal at first glance, it is found to be seven to 10 per cent more than the average daily screen time of first-borns,' said researcher Danush Jayawardena.
He said they use about one and more than 1.5 hours of additional screen time per week.
'This extra screen time also comes at the cost of other activities. Specifically, later-born children spend 11 to 18 minutes less per day on enriching activities, compared to 11 to 20 per cent less than older siblings,' Jayawardena said.
The study, based on survey data from nearly 5,500 Australian children aged two to 15, looked at how children spent their time from the time they woke up to the time they went to bed. The study also looked at whether the activities were done with or without their parents.
The findings of the study suggest that as the family size increases, parental time and attention to fostering children’s development decreases, and that later-born children experience more permissive parenting. They are also given more freedom to be around screen time, the study found.
The researchers recommend that parents spend quality time with younger siblings, actively encourage enrichment activities, and set consistent rules around screen time for children to support healthy development.
