The The Relationship Between Intensive Screen Exposure And Parental Self-Regulation On Selective Attention In Early Childhood
Keywords:
Early childhood , screen exposure, selective attention, self regulation, screen timeAbstract
The development of digital technology has led to an increase in the intensity of screen exposure among young children, which is suspected to impact their selective attention capacity. Parental self-regulation, as a proximal parenting factor, also plays a role in shaping children’s digital environments. This study aims to analyze the relationship between intensive screen exposure and parental self-regulation on young children’s selective attention, both simultaneously and partially, using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. The study method followed the PRISMA guidelines, with a search conducted in the Google Scholar, SINTA, and Scopus databases spanning the years 2021–2025. Of the 87 identified articles, 10 met all inclusion criteria and were analyzed using a thematic-comparative approach. The study results indicate that intensive screen exposure is negatively correlated with children’s selective attention through mechanisms involving the weakening of emotional regulation and interference with the development of executive functions. Parental self-regulation was found to be a proximal predictor that significantly moderates the negative impact of screen exposure on children’s attention. Simultaneously, the combination of high screen exposure coupled with low parental self-regulation creates the highest-risk condition for the development of selective attention in young children. In conclusion, interventions need to be designed in an integrated manner, prioritizing the strengthening of parents’ digital parenting capacities as the primary strategy for protecting children’s cognitive development.
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