Abstract
Background:
Since time immemorial, children’s intrinsic desire to immerse themselves in amusing, autonomous activities in vast, open spaces has engendered their holistic development through play. However, the steady decline in playgrounds has compelled children to seek solace in a digital landscape, which offers them a plethora of innovative play opportunities that “pushes them away from the outdoors and pull them indoors.” This infiltration of technology in urban households enhance children’s propensity to engage in media-centric activities due to their proclivity toward electronic devices. Consequently, the passive entertainment afforded by the dominance of digital culture predisposes children to inertia, insomnia, sedentary lifestyle diseases and public health issues like screen dependency disorders (SDD) and gaming disorders, which are officially recognized by organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO). This necessitates a conscious, synergetic effort by health practitioners, researchers and policy makers to ensure that children have access to safe and affordable spaces for active, outdoor play to counter the adverse effects of excessive screen time (EST).
Methods:
Therefore, this qualitative research aims at understanding how urban parents’ perspectives of play are governed by their sociocultural milieu and their respective professions by expounding their outlook on the relevance of play in a digital era. It also delineates the pivotal role of parents in curtailing the mediating role of discretionary screen time (DST) over children’s physical inactivity through semi-structured interviews of 13 mother-father dyads who reside in the metropolitan city of Bengaluru in Karnataka, India.
Results and Conclusions:
Findings from the “directed content analysis” revealed parents’ initiation of healthy movement behaviors during children’s formative years by employing “mediation tactics” and role modeling healthy screen habits like “digital detox” to regulate the aftermath of prolonged screen time on children’s psychosocial development
Introduction
According to Almon (2018), 1 children’s recreational pursuits stimulate their executive functioning and develop their pro-social brains through socialization. Despite the critical role of play in optimizing children’s development, technological advancement has reconditioned their outlook and proclivity toward play by employing portable, ergonomic, utilitarian devices as rudimentary elements in urban households. Consequently, the outdoor, social landscape has been metamorphosed into a digital one due to sociocultural factors, thereby confining play to enclosed, indoor spaces today.
Nowadays, the omnipresence of digital devices spurs the “tech savvy” generation to immerse themselves in media-centric activities, beyond the recommended “digital diet.”
Currently, babies’ screen time is restricted to video chats with families, whereas toddlers below two are permitted an hour of co-viewing educational programs with their caregivers. Alternatively, 2–5 year olds can use media for an hour on weekdays and three hours on weekends, while two hours of recreational screen time is prescribed for those aged 6–17, provided they compensate this with physical activity and get adequate sleep (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2022).
Recent statistics of the “Centre for Disease Control and Prevention” (CDC) reported a startling surge in children’s daily discretionary screen time (DST) from six to nine hours, for those below 14 years as the proliferation of digital media offers youngsters access to the latest information through diverse means of entertainment, facilitating social networking and reinforcing their connectedness with loved ones.
In 2022, the “McAfee global connected family study” 2 conducted across 10 countries established that Indian children were the youngest to reach “mobile maturity” as 83% of 10- to 14-year-olds used smartphones compared to 76% worldwide. Additionally, Indian children’s “digital existence coupled with adult-grade internet usage” preceded their global peers, exposing 24% of them to online threats, with 73% of the children acknowledged their parents’ role as “online protectors.”
While “YouTube” was established as a global platform, WhatsApp, Hotstar and Amazon gained prominence in India as communication, online “video on demand” streaming services or e-commerce sites. In fact, a “Happinetz” (2023) survey of 1500 parents revealed that “screen-based entertainment” was the favorite leisure pastime for 69% of those above 12 who owned smartphones or tablets, as 74% of them gravitated toward YouTube, while 69% immersed themselves in gaming. Thus, smart accessories rule the roost for modern children, as the regular screen time for 42% of those below 12 averaged two to four hours.
Besides, children’s digital proficiency compelled parents to use these as “digital pacifiers,” unless the latter provided stimulations sans media to keep children occupied. In this regard, Singh (2024) 3 offered parents a patented “parental control filter” (PCF) box to block harmful adult sites by periodically monitoring approximately 110 million websites or apps and provided parents with an array of 13 categories through “Happinetz,” ranging from online learning, chat forums to social media that enable customized internet preferences for children.
Consequently, the Indian government proactively instituted the “Digital Personal Data Protection Act” in August 2023 to ensure that children below 18 years of age solicit parental consent before browsing through diverse virtual platforms or social media apps. Therefore, families need to make deliberate efforts in understanding the rationale and purpose of screen time at this crucial juncture in time.
Children’s confinement indoors for extended periods of time minimizes their exposure to sunlight, and insufficient calcium absorption leads to vitamin D deficiency, especially in cities where most people live in apartments. While EST results in decreased bone density and poor muscle tone, dynamic, outdoor activities foster muscular strength and healthy body weight (Charan et al., 2024) 5 and the ramifications of these extraneous factors engender an incremental increase in childhood sedentary, neurological, emotional and behavioral disorders like hyperactivity. So, the National Institute of Health (2018) proposed that children increase their calcium intake and build their “bone bank” account by dedicating an hour for daily, outdoor, physical activity.
Subsequently, parents’ modus operandi of “passive activity” through imprudent gadget use inhibits children’s creativity and augments their risk for the onset of lifestyle diseases. Research on the incidence of obesity among European children reveals a positive correlation between anthropometry, passive consumption of carbonated drinks and interactive consumption of entertainment. Pediatric neurologists also identified a perturbing trend among “digital addicts,” typifying a slump in active neural circuits and an upsurge in pediatric migraines due to the mindless consumption of unhealthy food and a decline in outdoor play.
In order to tackle this epidemic of adiposity, which fuels hypertension and Diabetes mellitus, the “Center for Disease Control” (2016) adopted a two-pronged approach, recommending a healthy diet and regular physical activity through free play to stimulate healthy appetites and promote gastrointestinal health. One of the innovative stopgap arrangements by occupational therapists, psychologists and pediatricians to restore active play among children involves constructing “playpods,” typifying cost-effective mobile recycled “loose parts” such as tubes, cardboard boxes, tires (Neefs, 2018). 6
Consequently, the adverse impact of uncontrolled screen time on children’s physique is evident in their fixed gaze, stooped heads and kyphotic posture. Rideout and Robb (2019) demonstrate the rampant mobile addiction among 60% of preadolescents with smartphones who average “four hours forty-four minutes” of screen time per day. In the last decade, over-the-top (OTT) platforms such as “YouTube Kids” or “Messenger Kids” have acquired mass viewership and massive multiplayer online games (MMOG) like “Call of Duty” (COD) promote EST. Thus, the detrimental effects of gadget use far outweigh the positives of quick reflexes, decisiveness and dynamic visual acuity.
Besides being overweight and subject to impaired learning, EST triggers hostile behavior, insomnia and attention disorder in children. Children’s inclination to immerse themselves in compulsive impassivity, symbolic of an “internet gaming disorder” (IGD), is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 11th edition of the International classification of diseases (ICD, 2019) and classified under the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” (DSM-5-TR), insinuating an epidemic of “gadget addiction.”
In this respect, Heitner (2016) 7 advocated inculcating reading habits, promoting outdoor activity and designating unplugged zones at home as effective substitutes for audio-visual and tactile interactivity. Additionally, psychiatrists counsel parents to wean children off recreational screens and cultivate artistic pursuits or engage in manipulative play by solving puzzles or creating objects from playdough.
Hence, the phenomenon of “excessive screen time,” which aggregates “the total time spent in viewing screens,” is predominantly witnessed in urban Indian households where children are glued to electronic screens, be it tablets, smartphones or computers for approximately seven hours a day (Kaye et al., 20201). 8 Moreover, the decline in public playgrounds, coupled with the predominance of digital culture, is a double-edged sword for children who are “pushed” away from natural, outdoor environments and “pulled” indoors by electronic screens.
In light of this scenario, the present study aims to understand the impact of one’s sociocultural milieu on parents’ perspectives of play, and ascertains how urban children’s play is governed by both fathers’ and mothers’ vocational perceptions of technology, in our day, by assessing the following research questions:
How are urban parents’ views on technology governed by their respective professions? How is parents’ outlook on the relevance of play for children influenced by their vocation?
Methods
This qualitative study was conducted in the metropolitan city of Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka in South India, which bears the distinctive nomenclature of being both the “garden city” and “information technology” (IT hub) of India and is home to lush, green landscapes, natural and constructed playgrounds, strategically located public parks and premier tech parks that are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. Therefore, this urban locale was considered apt for the study as it would engender urban dwellers’ views on the impact of urbanization on the nature and state of children’s play in urban settings today.
Participant Selection
In view of the pandemic that began in March 2020, respondents for this study were recruited via snowball sampling from a local, religious community consisting of families situated across various parts of Bengaluru. In order to assess parents’ outlook on the impact of urban culture and technology on children’s play in this era, resident parents who spoke fluent English were selected as prospective participants. These families had at least one child aged 8–12 years, as “middle childhood” grants children the independent mobility to traverse their neighborhoods and freely engage in structured games and unstructured play sans adult supervision. Based on the inclusion criteria, 13 spouses with one professionally employed partner provided written consent to participate in this research to gain a comprehensive understanding of their vocational perceptions of urban children’s play, while unemployed spouses without a middle-aged child who were unable to converse in English were excluded from the study.
Participant Demographics
For the purpose of this study, 13 mother-father dyads shared their candid perspectives on the subject matter through audio-recorded interviews that were subsequently transcribed verbatim. Occupationally, five of the fathers were categorized as information technology managers, three were project managers, two were business analysts, and three were involved in the teaching profession, compared to six of the mothers who were homemakers, four teaching professionals and three managers.
Materials
In order to decipher the influence of urban parents’ vocations on their perceptions of the impact of urbanization and technology on children’s play preferences, an interview schedule was prepared with the proposed research questions and was validated by two experts in the field to iron out untoward biases. Parent dyads who consented participated in an audio-recorded semi-structured interview that was conducted at a convenient time, in their homes, in quick succession.
Data Collection
Face-to-face interviews in English constituted the primary means of data collection as Smith and Sparkes (2016) believed they engender “rich, detailed” participant experiences in informal settings, amidst their sociocultural contexts. Besides, Bryman (2012) claimed that semi-structured interview schedules enable researchers to acquire reliable information through flexible inquiry. In this research, interviews were conducted by the principal researcher from August 2020 to February 2021, and each parent’s interview averaged 40–75 minutes.
Data Analysis
As mentioned earlier, each of the 26 parent interviews was audio-recorded and manually transcribed verbatim by the researcher. Based on the nature of inquiry of this study, a “social constructivist approach” was adopted to ascertain individuals “subjective meanings” from their diverse experiences (Creswell, 2017). 9 Subsequently, the researcher employed “directed content analysis,” which typifies a structured method of identifying key concepts based on prior research conducted on the topic (Potter & Levine-Donnerstein, 1999) 10 through 16 steps segmented into three distinct phases—preparation, organization and reporting (Assarroudi et al., 2018). 11
The process involves mapping predetermined codes to data in rows and columns based on the research objectives and proposed line of inquiry to visually track patterns or anomalies in the data through the frequency and distribution of codes. This rigorous and transparent method uses matrixes to bridge the gap between theoretical and empirical observations and ensures replicability by comparing and contrasting themes and facilitates refinement of initial codes alongside existing or new ones through a thorough, yet flexible analytical process.
Results
The data collected graphically illustrates and expounds the influence of parents’ vocations on their perceptions of the impact of urban culture on children’s play preferences in our day. While assessing the relevance of play in urban settings, fathers and mothers describe how rapid urbanization and technological advancements determine children’s current recreational choices today.
In this section, fathers’ occupational stance on pertinent issues is elucidated through their statements as follows: fathers’ family number (F1) and occupation (information technology managers - IT, project managers - PM, business analysts - BA, teaching profession - TP). Alternatively, mothers’ opinions are typified by mothers’ family number (M1) and vocation (homemakers - H, managers - M and teaching profession - TP). Thus, parents’ vocational perceptions on factors influencing urban children’s play are collated across two generic themes.
Despite differing professions, fathers formed a consensus about technology as a “double- edged sword” refer to Figure 1.
My daughter is interested in games like Minecraft. I vouch for strategic, simulation games that allow you to acquire and use resources wisely. If you overuse money to build your army, your agriculture will suffer. (F12, IT, personal communication, August 5, 2021) True to their profession, fathers who were IT and project managers envisioned digital play as an engaging, futuristic, indoor activity that enabled children to develop a repertoire of technical and social networking skills refer to Figure 1.
We should give kids little time to cope with the existing culture, to be on par with those who talk about technology. We should explain the pros and cons of what they’re doing … like, we have given them 30 minutes daily, after they finish other activities. (F9, BA, personal communication, June 15, 2021) Thus, the influx of digital devices worldwide has garnered attention from young and old alike and accessibility to gadgets has ushered in an era of “digital play” for “Generation Alpha.” As one father confesses refer to Figure 1: “we give them gadgets to keep them occupied, but this alternative to outdoor play has a sense of artificial pride … that my child knows everything” (F1, TP, personal communication, February 1, 2018). Nonetheless, fathers believe that, besides passive entertainment, prudent use of technology stimulates play. Thus, fathers across all professions illustrated how children’s tryst with gadgets enhances their technical “know-how” and aids their acquisition of tactical skills refer to Figure 1.
My son plays digital games, using his cognitive skills to build something, which helps him in problem solving. He’s looking to become an IT professional and needs analytical skills, which he learns through virtual games. (F2, PM, personal communication, September 28, 2020) Synchronously, they are primed that excessive use of technology hampers play. All the fathers consented to the ill-effects of gadget addiction that exert an adverse impact on children’s health refer to Figure 1.
If both of them are at home, they play internet-based group games with their phones. So, physical activity is less, they have eyesight problems and reduced mental ability because of concentrating more on their phones. (F9, BA, personal communication, June 15, 2021) Apart from the tendency to trigger socio-emotional and behavioral issues, it creates a “pseudo reality,” setting unrealistic expectations that intensifies their sensory stimulation through instant gratification, gradually making them dim-witted refer to Figure 1.
Technology is making kids dumb by feeding them instant answers. They’re using it as the only tool for life – if you ask them “what’s your parent’s names?”, they may Google it! If I have to get knowledge or upskill myself, I read. Google and YouTube are additional aids. For kids today, it’s the reverse. We could’ve limited what’s available for children to complement what they learn in school, rather than that becoming the primary content. There’s nothing positive about technology and play. (F13, IT, personal communication, August 12, 2021) Consequently, fathers who were business analysts emphasized parental governance of children’s screen time while those in the teaching profession promoted its use for educational purposes refer to Page 1.
Today, there’s no pros and cons theory of video games. It’s good because it builds skills, but the challenge is the functional “instant reward system.” It’s exciting, but the moment you stop, studies look boring coz there are no immediate rewards, even normal play doesn’t give you the excitement of a normal video game. It takes away reality, literally! (F5, PM, personal communication, May 29, 2021) Given the indispensable role of technology in children’s play today, mothers evaluated its pros and cons by delineating the benefits of regulated screen time, affirming refer to Figure 2, “we haven’t encouraged playing computer or mobile games from her childhood, so our daughter never asks” (M12, July 27, 2021). While mothers who were managers applauded the technical prowess of the current generation and homemakers validated the effectiveness of specific digital programs in enhancing linguistic skills, teaching professionals advocated parental governance of children’s discretionary use of screen time as they believe refer to Figure 2, “this generation is becoming more digitalized and know how to use gadgets” (M5, M, personal communication, December 27, 2021) Universally, children’s accessibility to digital devices amplified during the recent pandemic, as mothers who were managers claimed that they were glued to their screens. In this regard, one mother illustrates her aversion to exposing children to the drawbacks of digital overload refer to Figure 2.
I’m completely against video games. People convince me they have values, but I don’t think it should be introduced at an early age because if that gaming station isn’t working, children go crazy. So, we don’t have any video games at home for the last 12 years. (M12, July 27, 2021) Consequently, homemakers and teaching professionals demonstrated the emotional and behavioral issues encountered by children who indulged in EST, ranging from temper tantrums to illegible handwriting, as demonstrated by one of the mothers below refer to Figure 2:
Playing with gadgets affects their studies as parents say – “my child’s handwriting was so good.” When parents tell them to do something, they’re restless find it difficult to hold the pencil nowadays because of touchscreen. If they play dangerous indoor games while sleeping, they develop hatred or want to take revenge. (M1, H, January 29, 2018)
Fathers who were project managers highlighted the significance of play for children’s holistic development, claiming refer to Figure 1, “there should be conscious effort to involve students in spontaneous play at homes and structured sports. These days, initiatives like summer camps bring children together for play. They’re sometimes in the mode of making money, but there are some good ones too” (F12, IT, personal communication, August 5, 2021). Fathers representing the other three professions felt it was imperative for outdoor, physical recreation as it afforded children a welcome break from sedentary school hours as refer to Figure 1 “its required for physical activity. It freshens your thought process and your day’s living. We returned from school and played in an open space. Today, it’s a routine activity to make time, go and play … but not daily” (F10, BA, personal communication, July 7, 2021). Moreover, fathers collectively accentuated the socio-emotional benefits of play that reduced the likelihood of negative well-being amidst a skewed value system refer to Figure 1.
Teen suicides increase proportionate to shrinking of playgrounds. It takes a toll on their social, mental and emotional life. I don’t know if people will be aware of these things in future or develop ideas where children have the privilege of a play environment” (F1, TP, personal communication, February 1, 2018) Play grants children the freedom of self-expression, engendering an egalitarian society that promotes cultural diversity through their regular interaction with peers refer to Figure 1.
There are 2 aspects – physical and mental growth. Play gives a good, relaxing environment. Parents see children improve their behavioral skills when they interact with others. I feel it is 100% necessary for children to regularly play for their own enrichment. (F2, PM, personal communication, September 28, 2020)
Fathers’ Occupational Perceptions of the Impact of Urban Culture on Children’s Play Preferences Today.
Mothers’ Vocational Perceptions of the Impact of Urban Culture on Children’s Play Preferences Today.
Despite their vocational differences, mothers advocated the necessity of regular outdoor recreation to foster children’s creative freedom of expression and enhance their awareness of their sociocultural environment through socialization, as they believe, refer to Figure 2 “Children in apartments need sunlight and the more they play, the more they’ll grow. If you play, you’re physically and mentally strong as you build your muscles with more oxygen. So, we should insist that city kids play” (M11, H, personal communication, July 16, 2021).
Therefore, mothers recognize the crucial contribution of play for children’s optimum physical, creative and socio-emotional development. Therefore, refer to Figure 2 “Play is extremely important to bring up emotionally healthy children. If we don’t let them play, we’ll see issues in when they go to college, especially developing friendships through the pre-teen years and their transition till adulthood” (M12, TP, personal communication, July 27, 2021).
Discussion
According to Pandya and Lodha (2021), 12 the inevitable surge in digital technologies over the past two decades has influenced parents’ contrasting beliefs on the role of “digital technology” for amusement and educational purposes today. In this study, fathers’ professional outlook compelled them to visualize it as a strategic, technical tool for children, besides being well-informed of the detrimental health effects of EST that plausibly delay other developmental milestones. Meanwhile, mothers conceded that modern-day children were adept at using digital devices, yet kept a tight rein on their DST activities to avert emotional or behavioral pitfalls.
Given that merely 23% of parents monitor their children’s online activities regularly, they can use digital apps like “Family Link” on Android devices or “Screen Time” on Apple’s iOS to block irrelevant websites and set default screen locks to curb excessive game or social networking time. While parents can rest easy by employing parental control apps like “Qustodio” and “Net Nanny” for their “screenagers,” they need to exercise discernment in avoiding malicious third-party “stalkerware” (Chen, 2023). 13
Additionally, 36% of the parents were called out by their children for being engrossed in their own phones, signifying parents’ role modeling of the prescribed “digital etiquette” they intend to promote through their sagacious use of digital devices during collaborative, online activities (Business Wire, 2017). They can also establish technology-free zones within family spaces by interacting with children during mealtime and implement a “digital curfew” 30–60 minutes prior to bedtime that would enable 76% of children who keep digital devices by their bedside to counter the adverse effects of sleeplessness and despondency that percolate from blue light emission (Barr, 2022). 14
In this regard, a qualitative systematic review of 20 studies was conducted with 1311 parents of children below 12 across six electronic databases that explored parental attitudes and strategies to regulate children’s screen time. The meta-synthesis revealed that although parents considered screen time as a deterrent to children’s physical and psychosocial well-being, they supported its functionality in improving technical proficiency. Thus, interactive gadgets served as “learning tools” and doubled up as “babysitters” or “coping mechanisms” for working parents or those who needed downtime, especially in households that lacked extended family support to meet the demands of child rearing (Chong et al., 2023). 15 Nevertheless, despite the pervasiveness of technological devices in urban households, parents in this study endeavor to encourage active participation in outdoor recreational pursuits to nurture children’s creativity through socialization.
Implications
In recent years, the proliferation of technology has been a force to reckon with as parents thwart children’s “excessive screen time” activities, while children dodge their attempts by using gadgets as a ploy for online learning, to conceal their gaming and social media activities. As children become tweens, caregivers and educators encounter the unique challenge of scaffolding them through open communication or maximizing online opportunities via co-participation and safeguarding minimizing risks through “safe exploration” in virtual spaces. As most youngsters seek solace on digital platforms during setbacks, Haidt and Allen (2020) advocate that clinicians and mental health professionals leverage social media and smartphones to address these mental health concerns.
In view of the adverse health effects of screen time that are well documented, parents employ “mediation tactics” to communicate the pros and cons of gadgets, monitor children’s use and limit their access to certain websites and apps. They also attempt to find healthier, outdoor extracurricular group activities for children to balance their active, social playtime with deskbound academic or passive, entertainment pursuits.
However, research by a team at Edith Cowan University (2022) suggests that parents often resort to informal digital health guidelines to “wing it” rather than seeking professional assistance from psychologists, counselors, therapists, teachers, pediatricians and general practitioners or procuring aids from trusted sources to address the elephant in the room. Therefore, researchers propose educating parents on the impact of mobile media on children’s oppositional behavior manifested through their physical inertia, social withdrawal, disordered executive function, emotional dysregulation, impulsive behavior, irregular sleep patterns and excessive gaming habits (Liebelt, 2018). 16
Screen addiction can also be reversed if parents are vigilant when children exhibit distancing from interpersonal relationships, disinterest in other offline activities, physical ailments due to prolonged gadget use, secretive online activities and defiant behavior when pulled away from screens owing to “screen time being their sole source of entertainment.” Therefore, caregivers need to investigate children’s motivation to connect to digital devices and understand their virtual interaction patterns to assess the impact of online activities on their socialization offline. Subsequently, parents can ascertain the red flags of addictive online behavior that may translate into challenging mental health risks by navigating children’s social media habits and employing digital tools for their mental health.
Nowadays, children are enveloped in a “digital space” that requires adult intervention in navigating interactive, online applications to ensure cybersecurity and regulate their screen time at home. When parents don the role of a “media mentor” rather than a “time cop,” Blum-Ross and Livingstone (2016) 17 believe that policy changes focus on the content of digital media accessed, the context in which it is aired to decipher whether it inhibits or promotes human connections. Hence, parental initiation of robust, leisure pursuits affords children opportunities to minimize their sedentary behaviors by fostering safe, social play within their own neighborhood.
In view of the myriad research studies that center around “western ideals,” future studies need to focus on multicultural perspectives from relevant stakeholders such as grandparents, nannies or school educators to gain a comprehensive understanding of family ideals and practices with respect to “children’s screen time.” Apart from the pivotal contribution of family members in children’s domestic upbringing, the majority of their waking hours are spent at educational institutions. Therefore, schools and counselors can encourage networking among parents and teachers by connecting them to online support groups offering collaborative “crisis resolution” through virtual tours. They can also partner with existing digital mental health providers to enhance access to online learning opportunities and acquaint children with tools that promote digital well-being.
Conclusion
In an electronic era characterized by expeditious actions initiated by the dominance of digital devices, the function and form of children’s play has been shaped by interpersonal (sociocultural milieu, parental values toward play), intrapersonal (personality, age, gender, attitudes toward play) or external factors like the recent pandemic. Consequently, caregivers need to establish an equilibrium between children’s active, leisure pursuits and passive entertainment by regulating children’s screen time habits through intermittent monitoring of their own phone usage, candid discussions about the merits and demerits of technology, parental controls or password-protected “tech tools” that curtail screen usage and promote their well-being.
Moreover, it is imperative for child professionals and pediatricians to understand children’s media habits within their sociocultural milieu to furnish parents with adequate resources to navigate children’s digital ecosystem through a coalescence of clinicians, researchers, urban planners, civic bodies and policy makers to proactively devise communal strategies that provide child-friendly natural, urban spaces for unstructured activities to effectively tackle the adverse effects of children’s EST with adequate playtime.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical Considerations
Being a qualitative researcher entailed immersing oneself in the participants’ recounting of their authentic experiences, yet observing reflexivity by taking cognizance of one’s subjective values and beliefs. In this manner, the rigor of this research was upheld by careful implementation of principles involving voluntary participation and assurance of anonymity via informed consent, complementing “thick description” of trustworthy data using direct participant quotes and verifying this credible information through member checks. We also adhered to the “Christ University Regulation for Code of Research Conduct and Ethics” (RCEC) while obtaining consent from the participants for the prescribed interviews.
Statement of Informed Consent and Ethical Approval
The study was accorded Ethical Approval from the Ethics Committee (CHRIST, Deemed to be University) No. CU:RCEC/DPHD00084/09/16 dated 17 September 2016. Written and/or Verbal Consent was taken from all the participants. The study was carried out in accordance with the principles as enunciated in the Declaration of Helsinki.