Provider Attitudes Toward Screen Time Discussions in Patients Ages 2-5 Years And Utilization of the Family Media Plan

PurposeThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that from 2020-2021, over 60% of children ages 2-5 exceeded the Bright Futures guideline of a maximum of one hour of screen time per day. The Family Media Plan (FMP), created by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is designed to help families put limits on screen time and abide by those parameters.The goal of this project was to increase provider attitudes surrounding utilization and importance of the FMP in children ages 2-5.MethodsAt a pediatric clinic, providers were educated via presentation on how to utilize the FMP and best practice guidelines on screen usage in children ages 2-5. A pre-intervention survey was given to determine baseline provider attitudes toward this tool. Upon completion of the project, a post-intervention survey was distributed to examine changes in attitudes toward screen time and FMP utilization at well-child visits.ResultsOf the two participating providers, attitudes toward the importance of this topic showed an increase of 25%, 100% and 200% in survey questions pre- and post-intervention. There was a 31% increase in FMP distribution.ConclusionThere was an increase in the importance of which providers viewed screen time discussions, as well as distribution of the FMP. Limitations that could be addressed are the small number of participating providers and well-child appointment visits that are not sufficient in length to address screen time discussions. A wider distribution of the intervention at other local pediatric practices is recommended.