The secret behind screen use: why do parents use them with their children?

PalmScreens are no longer just a source of occasional entertainment for children, but an everyday tool for managing household chores. In the Balearic Islands, a significant number of families admit to using digital devices to soothe children, manage boredom, or help them calm down, even before the age of six. This is one of the most relevant conclusions of the study. Analysis of screen use in children aged 0 to 6 years A study by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), commissioned by the Regional Ministry of Education, is based on responses from 8,991 families. 91.6% of families believe their children overuse devices. According to the study, nearly half of the families admit to using screens to calm their children "sometimes" or "often," while a smaller but still significant percentage say they do so regularly. This pattern is especially prevalent among children aged 3 to 6, when device use is fully integrated into daily routines and is no longer exceptional. Boredom is another determining factor. The report shows that screens are used as an immediate resource when children don't know what to do, a function that transforms them into a tool for containment and time management. This instrumental use, aimed at facilitating coexistence and reducing conflict, coexists with the widespread perception among families that they establish rules and limits.

The technological context explains this reality. 96% of households with young children have a television, 95% have a smartphone, and more than 62% have a tablet, placing digital devices within children's reach from the earliest stages of development. This access translates into widespread use. Only one in four children aged 0 to 6 does not watch television at all, while nearly 75% do so regularly for varying periods, from half an hour to more than 3 hours. As for mobile phones, three out of ten children use them every day.

Age, a key factor

Analysis of daily screen time confirms the magnitude of the phenomenon. More than half of children look at screens for between 30 minutes and two hours a day, and 7.7% exceed two hours daily, primarily watching television. Mobile phones and tablets show lower but still significant figures: 7.2% of children use mobile phones for more than an hour each day. This data shows that exposure is not residual or occasional but sustained and regular, even at very young ages. The study detects a direct relationship between age and screen use. As children grow, both the frequency and duration of consumption increase. The difference between one-year-olds and six-year-olds is clear and statistically significant, especially in the case of television, which becomes a central device from the age of three. Mobile phones and tablets follow a similar evolution, with a notable increase from the age of four, when they go from being an occasional resource to becoming part of the daily routine.

Device use is distributed throughout the day. Families indicate that screens appear most frequently before dinner, after lunch, and, to a lesser extent, before bedtime—a particularly sensitive period for children's rest and sleep regulation. This widespread presence reinforces the idea that screens do not serve a single function, but rather adapt to different moments and needs in daily family life. Regarding purpose, entertainment is the main driver: almost two out of three children use screens regularly for recreational purposes.

In parallel, the report highlights the use of screens as a resource for regulating behavior, both to calm children and to manage situations of tiredness or nervousness. This function, openly acknowledged by a significant portion of families, demonstrates the extent to which devices have become integrated as a basic tool for parenting. The study reveals a certain degree of disorganization in the management of these devices. Thus, 22% of families report that their child does not ask permission to use screens, while 30% say they use them as a reward. 50% of children have time restrictions. When rules are set, they vary in nature. 42.9% claim to limit screen time to specific days, a measure that 36.8% of families do not apply at all. 65.6% restrict the content their children can access, while 24.2% do not. The educational gap

Another relevant finding is the relationship between parents' education level and screen time. Children from families with lower levels of education use television and tablets more intensively, while in homes with university-educated parents, overall consumption is lower, although mobile phone use is higher. These families also report applying more rules and controls, both for content and access, which suggests a different approach, but not necessarily a significant reduction in total screen time. 87.5% of families report setting rules on screen use, and more than half use parental control systems. However, the combination of a high presence of devices, considerable usage time, and their use to calm or occupy children reveals a clear reality: screens are fully normalized in early childhood. Screen time in children aged 0 to 6 is not a marginal issue but a phenomenon with educational, social, and familial implications that make training and support for families one of the major challenges for the future.