Affiliations 

  • 1 a Department of Psychology , UCSI University , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
  • 2 b Department of English Language and Communication , UCSI University , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia
J Genet Psychol, 2017 Sep-Oct;178(5):291-297.
PMID: 28961083 DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2017.1355773

Abstract

Excessive technology use among young children remains a public health concern with diverse serious consequences. It is important to find out how children resist the temptation to use technology. Using focus group interviews, the authors explored what factors influence children's ability to delay gratification in using technology. Four specific themes emerged from the interview data: they found (a) fear of punishment, (b) self-directed speech, (c) reinforcement, and (d) parental modeling are effective measures to train children to forgo immediate pleasures of using technology. These findings provided some support for the hypothesis that children's self-control of technology use can be modified and improved. This study suggests methods to leverage and strengthen existing initiatives to promote self-control of technology use for children.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.