Perceptions of Parents Having Children in Preschool Level Regarding Their Children’s Screen Use

The perception of parents on children’s screen use is expected to affect their children’s screen usage and understanding the perception of parents about this subject can help in the preparation of roadmaps to show how children should use screen. The aim of this study is examine to the perception of the parents about positive and negative effects of screen use on their children, and to compare children’s actual screen use and the ideal screen use proposed by parents. The data conducting an interview one of the method of qualitative research. Participants comprised of 25 parents while 20 of them were mother, 5 of them were father, age range is between 26 to 43, have high-education and with child in preschool level. Although parents reported both positive and negative perceptions about screen usage the views that screen use adversely affects children are more distinct. While parents see knowledge / skills acquisition as the most positive side of the screen; the most downside is that they see the child's social isolation. In addition, there are remarkable differences between the use of screen that parents see as ideal for their children and the current screen usage of children.

Introduction the parents of 0-8 aged children in the US showed that the parents' screen use habits strongly influence their children's screen use. This study further stated that the children's screen use habits are highly affected by the parent-child interaction and the parents' attitude towards screen use . Also, Nikken and Schols (2015) reported that children's use of screen and the media content are engaged in are strongly linked to parental attitudes, rather than the child's age.
Studying the effect of the parents' perceptions and approaches on the use of screen to child's screen usage may contribute to positive discipline on the subject. A study, which aimed to determine the strategies used by parents with a child aged 5-6 to manage the child's screen use, reported that most of the parents have difficulty in controlling/managing the child's screen use and use screen as a reward or punish (Çekiç, 2019;Jago et al., 2016). Nikken and Jansz (2014) identified five fundamental mediation strategies that parents use to manage the child's screen use: supervision/monitoring, co-use, active mediation, restrictive mediation, and technical safe guidance; Nikken and Schols (2015) expressed that the use of these strategies primarily depends on parents' positive or negative attitudes on screen use. It can be argued that as the content offered by screen technologies is constantly improved and updated, parents need guidance on how to present the content of screen, social media and internet to their child, in other words, they need road maps being updated for their child's media use (Dinleyici et al., 2016;Radesky et al., 2015). Understanding of the parents' perceptions and feelings about their child's screen use may help to be prepared the road maps for preventive programs.
When examined studies in Turkey about parents' perceptions on children's screen usage firstly it can be seen that studies usually focus on only one type of screen technologies such as digital games (Toran et al., 2016), television (Coşkun & Arslantaş, 2016;Türkkent, 2012) or computers (Özyürek, 2018). Secondly studies focused on either parental perceptions of the effects of screen on the child (Coşkun & Arslantaş, 2016;Günüç & Atli, 2018) screen usage habits (Toran et al., 2016) or parent attitude toward to use of technology at preschool children (Saltuk & Ercı yes, 2020). This study addresses screen use as a whole (encompassing television, tablet, smartphone…) as well as parents' perceptions on screen usage of their children and seeks to reveal the similarities and differences between the children's current screen usage and the usage considered optimal by the parents, that is, to compare between the actual and the desired screen use, which would add to the relevant literature. The other situation observed in studies examining parents' views on screen use in Turkey vast majority of them realized on the mothers and criteria for being working group is only being parent (Coşkun & Arslantaş, 2016;Özyürek, 2018;Toran et al., 2016;Türkkent, 2012). It can be said that the perceptions of parents about the children screen use are affected by their educational level and that parents in the higher education group show a relatively negative approach (McCloskey et al., 2018). In this study, with the participation of parents with a university degree, who are expected by the society to be the most educated and, therefore, the most sensitive parents regarding screen use, would present rich and comprehensive information on the research subject.
This study aims to examine the perceptions of the parents, who are a university graduate and have a child in preschool level, about effect of screen use on their children, and to compare the children's actual screen use and the ideal screen use proposed by the parents. The research questions that guide this study are as follows; What is perception of the parents who are university graduates and have preschool children about the effects of screen use on their children?
What are the differences and similarities between the current screen usage of children and what their parents consider ideal for them?
All of the participants live with their spouses and two live in a extended family, 23 in a nuclear family consisting of parents and children. When the economic status of the participant as a family was analyzed, it was found that 11 (44%) had a monthly income of 3000 TL or less, six (24%) had a monthly income between 3000-6000 TL, and six (24%) had a monthly income of 6000 or more and two participants (8%) did not provide information about the monthly income. Besides participants consist of university staff, students whose receiving pedagogical formation training and parents whose children attend a private kindergarten.

Data Collection Tool
The study employed qualitative design and collected in-depth information through interviews, which is one of the techniques of this design. Interview is a data collection technique which based on asking and answering questions in advance to reveal what is going through one's mind (Cohen et al., 2007;Karasar, 2006, p. 165;Patton, 2014, p. 341;Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2016, p. 129). Due to human being is a social entity, he has feelings and thoughts that vary time, place, and from person to person.
In this context if it is desired to obtain in-depth and detailed information about a person's thoughts on a subject is one of the techniques that can be used is interview (Türnüklü, 2000). As the focus of this study is on screen technologies which are constantly changing and updated, it is possible to see changes in parents' perceptions on the use of these technologies. At this point, because of it was considered that the use of standard measurement tools would limit the data to be obtained and would be insufficient to reveal the change the perceptions of parents about the use of screen at their children's, interview was preferred as data collection method.
In qualitative research methods, since the researcher himself / herself plays an active role in the process of data collection and analysis, it becomes a natural part of the process and sometimes functions as a data gathering tool (Özdemir, 2010;Yıldırım, 1999). At this point, knowing the characteristics of the researcher may contribute to a better understanding of the research process. This work was conducted by a researcher who has phd in the field of guidance and psychological counselling and worked in preschool education for three years.
Interviews were performed based on a semi-structured form of open-ended questions designed by the researcher. Prior to the design of the interview form, the relevant studies and the theoretical literature were reviewed and the suitability of the interview questions was assessed in line with the opinions of an expert, who is experienced in qualitative research. In the initial form of the interview, effects of screen usage on the child were identified as one category, but upon the expert's suggestion about to divide this category as positive and negative effects the final form has been determined as two categories. In addition, within the framework of expert opinion, some of expression corrections were made in the categories of current screen usage of the children and parents consider ideal usage for children. At the end of these corrections, the interview form was reached a form which consisting of four main questions. Accordingly, the following four categories were identified: "The positive effects and negative effects of the use of screen technologies on the children in preschool level and the actual screen use of the children and the parents' suggestions for ideal use." Then, it was tested by preinterview with two parents to determine whether it was understandable and concluded that the form is applicable.

Data Collection and Analysis
The interviews with the parents participating in the study were conducted in the lecturers' room at the university during September and October 2018. The interviews lasted a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 50 minutes. The interviews were conducted when the researcher and the participant were available and before the interviews, the researcher informed participants about the purpose, duration and confidentiality of the interview. In addition, it was stated that the interviews were based on volunteering and the participant could finish the interview at any time.
The opinions expressed by the parents were recorded using a recorder. Following the transcription of the interviews, the texts were read by two experts, one of them is a researcher and the other experienced in qualitative research. Qualitative research methods generally are not based on a predetermined hypothesis so inductive approach is used in data analysis (Yıldırım, 1999). In this study, based on the inductive method, firstly the codes were attained from the data obtained the parents and then the themes were reached through these codes. The researchers reviewed the answers for each question and respectively identified the potential codes. The data for each participant were coded in the categories of main category, main theme and sub-codes, using the Excel program, which allowed for a holistic perspective towards the whole data. In this way, the citations were identified and the retrospective analysis was systematically performed, which minimized the data loss. Further, the following steps were taken to ensure validity and reliability.

Validity and Reliability
* Two different encoders decided the themes that similar codes were associated with.
* In order to eliminate the researchers' biases and to ensure the internal validity of the themes, the codes and themes were refined until the researchers agreed. The resulting themes and codes were given in tables. In the reports of the interview data, direct citations were used to present the parents' perceptions as they are, and the citations were categorized according to the themes. The letter "P" was used to convey the opinions and the numbers assigned to the parents (e.g. (P1), (P2)) were included at the end of the citations. For a better understanding of the subject, categorical information regarding the parents and their children were presented in the comparative themes. * Prior to the study, pilot interviews were conducted with two parents and the interview form was examined in terms of applicability and revised.

Results
Sub-problem 1. Table 1 shows the parents' perceptions on the positive effect of screen use on the development of children in preschool level. recognizes the species that are not endemic to the environment we are in, knows his/her own history well. P18 expressed: "A good program enables the child to learn to follow some rules that may be present at home, such as hand-washing before eating, and toilet training." Screen use promotes language development through its help for learning different words as stated by some of the participants (24%) and through its contribution to foreign language acquisition as stated by the other participants (16%). Regarding the code of learning different words, P23 stated: "My child has started to use some words used in daily life by learning them on the TV screen. For example, he/she learnt the word "welcome" from a TV program and used it when I came home. I believe that one of the most important advantages is to know different words." P3 expressed that: "I think it supports language development by enriching one's vocabulary." Regarding foreign language acquisition P7 said: "I made him/her listen English-Arabic songs through the screen. Supporting the words listened with the visuals enables him/her to learn these words. I believe it is an important support for language acquisition." Moreover, screen use has the following positive effects for children: music experience (16%), seeing visuals (12%), offering a pleasant environment (8%) and parental education (4%). Some of the parents' opinions regarding these effects are as follows: As a mother, I am learning puppet games and rhymes through Youtube. By training myself, I enable my son to play educational games (P6, mother of a 2-year-old boy).
I think that a good program strengthens visual memory. He can learn the names of many objects and the ways they are used (P20, mother of 4-year-old boy).
The one of the most remarkable findings in the study, which is that one-third of the participants (32%) believed that screen does not have any benefit for children. P13 stated: "I do not see any positive effect on children. Children are only interested in popular applications or games." P11 said: "I do not think that it has a positive effect on the children in the small age group. On the contrary, it has negative impacts such as communication and sociability problems." P8 stated: "I do not think that it has any positive effect on the children in the pre-school period. Since the children in this period have a great potential. Screen use is not necessary for their development." Sub Problem 2. Table 2 presents the parents' perceptions on the negative effect of screen use on the development of children in preschool level. Following the analysis of the parents' perceptions on the negative effects of screen use in the development of the children in preschool level, four sub-themes were identified: negative behaviors, social skills, language-cognitive skills, physiological effects. In the sub-theme of negative behaviors, the parents stated that screen causes behavioral problems such as violence/aggression (28%), swearing (24%) and obstinacy (20%) when it is uncontrolled. Regarding this, the parents expressed the following opinions: P9: "I think that excessive use of televisions and tablets would have negative impacts for children, such as aggression and eye health problems. Also, children become very grumpy when their tablets are taken away from them." P1 stated: "When the contents of internet and television are not carefully selected, this may cause negative behaviors in children such as violence and swearing. This situation may bring about permanent problems in the child." P19 said: "As screen use causes the brain to memorize anything, the child has difficulty in expressing himself/herself and shows the tendency to violence, which is, as far as I am concerned, one of its greatest harms." Besides, the parents reported that screen technologies may lead to negative behaviors for the children in preschool level such as screen addiction (20%).
Remarkably, in the sub-theme of social skills, almost half of the participants (48%) agreed that screen use results in isolation. Regarding this, P1 stated: "An uncontrolled and unlimited use of televisions, phones, etc. decreases the interest of the child towards nursery and their friends and leads to isolation." P4 expressed: "The children exposed to screen find it difficult to relate to the social environment, and keep away from playing with their friends and exploring the environment." P16 stated: "The most vital negative effect of screen use is its adverse impact on the child's communication with other individuals, which prevents the child from socializing, since the child prefers spending time alone in front of a screen over spending time with their friends. Within the same theme, one of the mothers reported that excessive use of a screen would cause unwillingness to go to nursery (4%).
In the sub-theme of language-cognitive skills, the parents pointed to the negative impacts of screen use on the children in preschool level period, such as attention deficit (24%), inability to distinguish between the real and the virtual (24%). Further, 16% of the parents emphasized that an uncontrolled use adversely impacts the speech development of the children in preschool level. It is further reported by the parents that there are adverse physiological effects caused by screen use, such as eye health (36%), negative eating habits (8%) and sleep disorder (4%). The parents' opinions on the language-cognitive effects and physiological effects of screen use are as follows: I think when the child watches TV or videos on phone for more than 1 hour without parental control, he/she shows attention deficit, obstinacy, and physical disturbances. I personally experience these things when my daughter watches videos on phone for a long period of time (P5, mother of a 2- year-old girl), The screen light disrupts the sleep pattern of my child. I myself know that it makes you feel tired. As sleep disorder affects brain hormones, it is also a cause of attention deficit, in my opinion.
Further, the use of tablets or televisions as a tool for the children who do not eat may lead to negative eating habits such as over-eating and obesity, reducing the awareness for the feeling of hunger (P15, mother of 5-year-old boy), Sub-problem 3 and 4. Table 3 presents the comparison of the information provided by the parents on the current screen use of their children (duration of use, rules for screen use, programs or applications followed…) and their perceptions on the ideal screen use. Inspection of Table 3 demonstrates that whilst 68% of the parents reflected that there should be a time limitation for screen use; 52% of them imposed a time limit for their children, but 28% reported that they failed to impose a time limit. There was a total of 13 parents who imposed a time limit and the upper limit was determined as an average of 1 hour by 8 parents, as 2 hours by 3 parents, as 3-4 hours per day by 1 parent, and as 1 hour per week by 1 parent. Similarly, while more than half of the participants (56%) supported parental control, only 36% of them stated that they could control screen use. It is further revealed that 16% of the parents allowed their children to use a screen to take time for themselves; but, no parent reported a suggestion for such use when asked about ideal use.
Within the same theme, 8% of the parents allowed their children to use a screen for reward purposes and the same number of the parents (8%) stated that they try to set an example for their children regarding screen use, and 4% of the parents co-used the screen with their children. Inspection of the same codes in the ideal screen use reveals that only one participant stated that screen can be used for reward purposes; 4 parents (16%) supported parent-child co-use and 4 parents (16%) highlighted that parents should set an example regarding screen use for their children.
In the theme of screen content, 32% of the parents expressed that educational-tutorial content should be prioritized; as for the current use, educational-tutorial content, games, cartoons and age-appropriate content were reported as a consideration in choosing screen content by 32% of the participants, 12%, 20% and 28%, respectively.
Analysis of the opinions on screen content indicated that 32% of the parents expressed that their Since we are always on our phones during the day. Actually, we need to first select useful content on screen use and to set an example as parents.
P7, Mother of 5-year-old boy, CS: At first, it was like an escape when my child used a screen and I could do my own things while my child was being occupied. Yet, as he grew, he explored some games and spent more time in front of the screen. This is why I am angry at the dad as he does not intervene with the child. Although I make efforts to control it, I sometimes fail to. I try to impose a time limit. If he does not follow the rule and shows violent behaviors, I do not allow him to use the tablet for a certain period.
IU: There must be a time limit, and the parents should co-view it. Although we cannot totally prevent it, we should offer alternatives to the screen, such as parks. The child should be kept away from the screen. Parents should offer activities such as visiting a park, which can be an alternative to tablets.

Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations
The participants of this research can be considered as one of its strength as well as limitation.
The data collected from the parents with a university degree are of great importance since these data reveal the problems encountered by the group who is probably the most sensitive regarding screen use. Still, when the educational level is restricted with a certain group of people, the resulting findings should be more carefully assessed. Another crucial limitation regarding the study group is that the group mostly consists of mothers. Lastly, parents are an important factor in determining a child's habits and behaviors on screen use; furthermore, a variety of factors including the family's socioeconomic level, educational level, the child's age, gender, ability to use screen, accessibility to screen, social circle have a potential impact on screen use, which should be also noted by researchers and practitioners.
In its simplest form, attitude can be defined as an evaluation of people, objects and ideas (Aronson et al., 2012). The findings of the study indicate that parents' negative perceptions towards children's screen use are more pronounced but despite this negative approach parent feel insufficient to controls children's' screen usage and being role models for ideal usage. Especially the significant difference between what they consider ideal and current screen usage of theirs children's shows that parents may be experiencing some mental and emotional uncertainties regarding the use of screen. There are some studies pointing out a strong correlation between the amount of screen use among parents and children (Kaya, 2017;Jago et al., 2014;Nikken, 2017). A study reported that the parents who excessively use screen technologies show a relaxed and low attitude towards both their own and their children's screen use (Thompson et al., 2017). In this regard, the parents' personal reasons to use screen and the reasons to allow their children to use it may affect the child's screen habits.
The discussions on the benefits or harms of screen use reported by parents are available in the literature on this subject as well. Some studies suggested that the excessive screen use by young children may damage the child's fine motor skills (Lin et al., 2017) and that there is a negative, significant correlation between screen and positive social behaviors as well as a positive significant correlation between screen and aggression (Akçay & Özcebe, 2012b). On the other hand, screen technologies have the potential to offer critical learning opportunities to children, especially those in a disadvantaged environment. This view is supported by the fact that parents have been lately recommended to co-use media technologies with their young children (Connell et al., 2015). Besides, it is necessary to note that the effect of screen use can change depending on age or over the years (Segev et al 2015).
Probably one of the most remarkable findings in this study is the difference between the ideal use suggested by the parents for their children and the children's actual screen use. These differences are particularly notable in screen content, time limitation and parental control. Similarly, Jago et al (2015) reported that there is a low correlation between the parental control on screen use of the children in pre-school period and the amount of screen use among these children; Kaya (2017) revealed that the amount of screen use among children does not vary depending on the availability of a time limit imposed by their parents or how the parents perceive screen -harmful or useful. On the other hand, De Decker et al. (2015) put forward that the availability of the TV rules for children has an impact on the amount of TV viewing among children. The attitude of a person on a subject may not always predict their behaviors regarding that subject. In this sense, numerous factors such as the content, accessibility of the attitude, the belief in and strength of the attitude influence to what extent we can predict the behavior based on the attitude (Aronson et al., 2012, p. 393-398;Hogg & Vaughan, 2007, p. 181-182;Kağıtçıbaşı, 1999, p. 109-115). That being said, the difference between the actual situation and the ideal situation regarding screen use may result from unrealistic expectations, the lack of efforts to implement suggestions for the ideal use, a weak belief in these suggestions, or insufficient skills to control children.
One of the aims of this study is to present the approaches of parents regarding their children's screen usage and to contribute to the road maps for the use of healthy screen. In this context one of the first issues to be addressed is the negative perception of parents towards screen. The study by Nikken and Haan (2015) found out that the parents' problems about their children's screen use become more visible when the parents have a negative perspective towards screen technologies and when there is a positive perception towards screen and screen are used for educational purposes, the problems are