The survey showed that 90% of young children use electronic gadgets

More than 90 percent of 3- to 5-year-old Taiwanese use personal electronic devices at home, and 3-year-olds spend an average of 2 hours and 17 minutes in front of a screen per day, according to a survey published yesterday.

The survey of 1,732 parents, which predicted the use of computers, communication devices and consumer electronics, was released at a press conference by National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and Parenting magazine.

It found that more than 90% of children in this age group use screen-based devices at home, and that the youngest children surveyed had the longest average screen time.

Three-year-olds spent an average of two hours and 17 minutes in front of a screen per day, while four-year-olds averaged one hour and 59 minutes, and five-year-olds averaged one hour and 36 minutes, according to an investigation.

According to the survey, three-year-olds from the lower middle class had the highest daily screen time, averaging three hours and two minutes.

“The more children use these devices, the less they interact with their parents,” said Zhang Shen Ju (張), a professor in NTNU’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies and one of the survey directors.

“It negatively affects their social, emotional and physical development, as well as their cognitive and language abilities,” she said.

Change the recommendation for parents to limit their children’s daily screen time to less than an hour and use the extra time to play, read, talk to their children, or eat meals together.

The general manager of the K-12 Education Department, Peng Fuyuan (彭富源), said personal use of electronics was highest among three-year-olds who had not yet entered kindergarten.

He said the Education Department plans to send information on how to limit children’s use of electronic devices with the monthly childcare support data most parents receive.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that three-year-olds limit 30 minutes of screen time per day, and that children aged 4-6 years be limited to one hour, with a 10-minute break every half hour to rest their eyes.