Kids'Cam shows screen time is a concern

Friday, 7 July 2023

Professor Louise Signal, EDOR researcher and Director of the Health Promotion and Policy Research Unit at the University of Otago, Wellington, pioneered the Kids'Cam project in 2014. These studies used wearable cameras on children aged 11-13 years to capture in detail the everyday environment of kids in Aotearoa New Zealand.  This novel research has led to a wealth of information about the food environment, advertising exposure, and everyday activities that our children are engaged in.

The New Zealand Medical Journal has published the latest findings from the Kids'Cam study, which showed that children are spending a large amount of their out-of-school time on screens. While the study data was gathered nearly a decade ago, given the rise and accessibility of devices, screen use amongst children has likely increased.

The use of multiple devices at once, and the proximity of their use to bedtime, raises concerns about the effect that screen use is having on children's physical activity levels and sleep.  EDOR has a number of other research projects investigating the effects of screen time on children's sleep and well-being, so that up-to-date advice can be provided to inform New Zealand guidelines on children's screen use:

• BED - Bedtime Electronic Devices Study
• The Preschool Cam Study
• SNAP IT study

Read the Kids'Cam screen time study paper

Watching the watchers: assessing the nature and extent of children's screen time using wearable cameras, Belinda M Lowe, Moira Smith, Richard Jaine, James Stanley, Ryan Gage, Louise Signal; New Zealand Medical Journal, Vol 136 No 1578: 7 July, 2023.

Kids'Cam screen time study in the media

• Children spending a third of after-school time on screens, study finds, RNZ, 7 July, 2023
• Kids spending one-third of time after school on screens, TVNZ, 7 July, 2023
• NZ kids spend a third of after-school time on screens: call for urgent online regulations, NZ Herald, 7 July, 2023
• Kids spending one-third of after-school time on screens, study finds, University of Otago, 7 July, 2023

View previous Kids'Cam research findings

• Children exposed to 554 brands a day, 20 January, 2022
• Kiwi kids consume five unhealthy snacks a day, 11 February, 2021
• Kids'Cam reveals extent of kids junk food advertising exposure, 10 October, 2017