Parents use of mobile screens while interacting with children 0-6 years: Protocol for evidence synthesis - Protocol for an overview of reviews/ a systematic review

Summary

The Norwegian Directorate of Health has commissioned to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) a systematic review on the effects/consequences of parents use of mobile screen devices while in the presence of children 0 to-6 years of age.  Outcomes of interest are interaction, communication, attachment and emotional and cognitive development in children as well as parents’ emotional availability. To respond to this commission, we will first carry out an overview of systematic reviews, and if no records are found, a systematic review of primary studies.

We will perform a systematic search for relevant studies in databases and other relevant sites. Studies must meet the following inclusion criteria: report on consequences of an exposure/intervention (parents’ use of mobile screens) on short and long-term outcomes for children and parents. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment will be done by an independent pair of researchers. For the overview, we will summarize the results narratively; for the systematic review we will attempt to pool them statistically but if unable, we will present a narrative synthesis. We will assess confidence in the results using the GRADE approach.  

The report will be handed The Norwegian Directorate of Health 1. April 2022 at the latest.