| Abstract [eng] |
Almost every child or teenager's daily life is inseparable from screens and relationships with other children. The purpose of this research paper was to evaluate the links between the use of information technology (time and activities in front of screens), relationships with peers and prosocial behavior of 7 – 14 year old children. The work uses data from the project "Long-term effects of screens on children's physical and mental health" (project leader Prof. Dr. Roma Jusienė). This study analyzes data collected during the pandemic from 602 parents (584 mothers and 16 fathers) on the duration and nature of children's use of information technology and the Prosocial behavior and Peer relationships problem subscales of the SDQ questionnaire. The results of the study revealed that children and teenagers spent more screen time than recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic. It turned out that for elementary school children, longer time spent using information technology is associated with better relationships with peers and more prosocial behavior. To gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between the use of information technology, relationships with peers, and prosocial behavior, a person-centered approach was also used. According to the use of information technologies, groups of research participants were distinguished, among which relations with peers and prosocial behavior were compared. Based on the obtained results, recommendations are given to parents and specialists. |
