Montréal, December 5, 2024. – A quarter of toddlers aged about one and a half spend an average of one hour or more per weekday in front of a screen. This proportion reaches 35% for weekend days. This information comes from the Institut de la statistique du Québec’s publication entitled L’utilisation des écrans chez les tout-petits d’environ un an et demi et leurs parents based on the longitudinal study Growing Up in Québec. This study is following more than 4,000 children born in Québec in 2020–2021 until they reach adulthood.
Average time spent watching or using screens per day during the week and the weekend; Children aged about 17 months, Québec, 2022–2023
Source
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, 2nd edition.
Television is the type of screen most used by toddlers
About 44% of 17-month-old children watch television every day, and 1 in 5 (20%) use a cell phone daily.
Frequency of use of different types of screens at home; Children aged about 17 months, Québec, 2022–2023
Source
Institut de la statistique du Québec, Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, 2nd edition.
Screens are used for various activities
Nearly 4 in 10 toddlers watch shows, online videos or children’s movies every day. About 27% use a screen every day to listen to stories, songs or nursery rhymes.
Screens can also be used by children to communicate with their family, for example via Skype, FaceTime or Zoom. About 16% of children aged one and a half do so daily, while 41% do so once or a few times per week.
Screens sometimes deemed useful by certain parents
The parents of about 1 in 5 toddlers reported using screens often or very often for the following reasons:
- To amuse or please their child (21%)
- To support their child’s learning (16%)
- To keep their child busy while they are doing something else (19%)
About the study
The Growing Up in Québec study was started to fulfill a need for knowledge about the development of children born in Québec. This second edition of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development is carried out by the Institut de la statistique du Québec in collaboration with various partners, and is funded by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, the Ministère de la Famille, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, the Ministère de l’Éducation, the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Conseil de gestion de l’assurance parentale, and the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
The children covered by the study are those born in 2020–2021 to mothers living in Québec. The initial sample included 4,703 children, and data about them is collected every year from the age of 5 months to about 8 years. Afterwards, data should be collected every two years, as well as at certain key moments. The second data collection took place from May 2022 to March 2023 when the children were about 17 months old.
Learn more about Growing Up in Québec
or 25 years, the Institut de la statistique du Québec has been producing, analyzing, and disseminating official, objective and high-quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.