Exploring the Role of Play-based Engagement on Screen Time, Attention, Empathy, and Social Skills among Preschool Children

Abstract: Play refers to a group of voluntary activities that foster enjoyment, recreation, and contribute to children’s development. Screen time is the amount of time individuals spend with devices such as televisions, smartphones, and computers. This study aimed to determine the impact of play engagement on screen time, attention, social skills, and empathy among preschoolers. For this purpose, 25 children, their mothers, and 7 teachers were recruited for a play-based intervention. After baseline measurement, the children engaged in play sessions for 20 days, followed by the post- intervention measurement phase. The data obtained was statistically analyzed. Findings from the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test revealed significant differences in baseline and post-treatment measures related to screen time, attention, social interaction, social cooperation, social independence, emotional contagion, attention to others’ feelings, and prosocial actions. Spearman’s correlation coefficient revealed a significant negative correlation between screen time and attention, and significant positive correlations among social cooperation, social interaction, social independence, and attention to others’ feelings. Thematic analysis of video clippings and direct observations of the children produced themes such as cooperation with others, helping behavior, new adaptive behaviors, exploration, interaction with the environment, and empathetic gestures. Overall, the findings indicate the positive impacts of the play-based intervention on social skills and empathy in young children.