Executive function difficulties among school-aged children during the COVID-19 pandemic: associations with home literacy environment, reading and screen media times 

Several studies indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic and the containment measures it required (including social distancing, quarantine and school closure) had a significant impact on children’s mental health. The present study aimed to examine executive function difficulties at behavioural level in school children during the COVID-19 lockdown, and to analyze potential associations with home literacy environment, current reading and screen times. Data were collected from mothers of 210 children (9–12 years old) through an online survey. Significant increases in children screen times were observed, while most of them did not read for pleasure on a daily basis. Parents’ literacy beliefs and children’s current leisure reading times were negative predictors of executive function difficulties, which increased with videogame and internet exposure. Nevertheless, perceived changes on screen or reading times with respect to pre-pandemic levels were not associated with executive function scores. The results might indicate: 1) opposite effects of literacy and screen times over children’s executive functioning; 2) a preference for reading or screen recreational use according to their executive function profiles; or 3) a combination of both. Our findings highlight the relation of reading and screen times with children’s cognitive development, and the importance of following their trajectory during post-pandemic times.