BACKGROUND <p>Excessive screen time in early childhood is a global public health concern, yet fewer than one-third of young children meet recommended guidelines. Parental screen behavior is among the strongest modifiable determinants of child screen time, and parent-focused mobile health (mHealth) interventions are a promising but understudied approach. Whether app-recorded parenting behaviors relate to the magnitude of child screen time reduction has rarely been examined.</p> OBJECTIVE <p>This study examined whether the Watch Me app, an mHealth parent-training platform, was associated with a greater short-term reduction in child screen time over 7 days than an active comparison condition (psychoeducation plus diary-only self-monitoring). Exploratory analyses examined app-recorded parenting behaviors and day-level parent–child screen time associations.</p> METHODS <p>In this two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial, 61 community-recruited parent–child dyads (parents aged 28–47 years; children 3–7 years) were randomly allocated to an intervention group (Watch Me app) or a comparison group receiving psychoeducation plus diary-only app self-monitoring. The intervention was self-administered: after a single standardized onboarding session, no ongoing coaching or push reminders were provided, and parents completed in-app daily diary entries during the 7-day intervention period. The primary outcome was child screen time change (min/day), parent-reported via the in-app daily diary. Within-group change was assessed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and between-group differences with the Mann–Whitney U test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) adjusting for baseline child screen time (primary analysis). Exploratory Spearman correlations examined day-specific parent–child screen time associations across dyads and correlations between app-recorded parenting behaviors and child screen time change.</p> RESULTS <p>Of 61 allocated dyads, 55 provided sufficient post-intervention diary data for the complete-case analysis (intervention n=31, comparison n=24). After baseline adjustment, the intervention group showed a greater reduction in child screen time than the comparison group (ANCOVA β=21.31 min/day; 95% CI 6.45 to 36.17; P=.006; R²=.419). Within-group reduction was significant in the intervention group (−21.8 min/day; Wilcoxon r=.53, P=.003) but not the comparison group (P=.354). Exploratory analyses showed day-specific parent–child screen time associations across dyads on days 4 to 6 (peak day 5; Spearman ρ=.57, P=.001) and an association between greater narration-with-praise implementation and greater child screen time reduction (ρ=−.43, P=.039, n=23).</p> CONCLUSIONS <p>In this pilot randomized controlled trial, the Watch Me app was associated with a greater short-term reduction in child screen time over 7 days than psychoeducation plus diary-only self-monitoring. Exploratory analyses identified day-level parent–child coupling and narration-with-praise implementation as candidate process variables rather than established mechanisms. These findings provide preliminary effect-size estimates and require confirmation in an adequately powered, prospectively specified study.</p> CLINICALTRIAL <p>UMIN Clinical Trials Registry UMIN000061851; https://center6.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000070769</p>

Introduction Elucidating the enduring effects of childhood social capital is vital for shaping future well-being. Here, we investigate the impact of childhood social capital (SC) and parental engagement on adult psychological well-being and cognitive performance. Methods Utilizing a cohort of 292 Japanese university students, we assessed the influences of SC and parental time during childhood on adult outcomes. Participants retrospectively reported their early childhood experiences, focusing on social interactions and parental involvement. Results Our findings reveal a significant positive correlation between childhood SC and adult subjective well-being, particularly in its positive dimensions. Additionally, maternal involvement during childhood is associated with cognitive abilities in adulthood, as measured by Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis highlights the substantial impact of childhood SC on adult well-being, elucidating the intricate interplay between social and parental contributions to developmental trajectories. Discussion These results highlight the crucial roles of both parental and non-parental figures in fostering social, emotional, and cognitive development from childhood to adulthood, underscoring the importance of nurturing supportive relationships throughout early life to promote positive developmental outcomes.

<p id="p1">The effects of tactile information sharing on empathy and reward systemsin interpersonal interaction are significant. Recent technologicaldevelopments have enabled tactile information sharing in remotecommunication, but its effects on brain plasticity have not beeninvestigated. To this aim, using functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI), we investigated whether conveying tactile information duringremote communication induces plastic changes in functional connectivity.Seventy participants participated in conversations either with orwithout tactile stimulation. During the social interaction phase,participants engaged in a 15-minute conversation with the experimenter.Afterward, the tactile group showed a higher emotional connection scorethan the control group. Notable plastic changes in functionalconnectivity were observed in the striatum-orbitofrontal cortex andstriatum-inferior frontal gyrus of the tactile group compared to thecontrol group. In addition, a significant correlation between emotionalconnection and the connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortexand supramarginal gyrus was identified. These findings suggest thatremote tactile communication systems have the potential to amplifyemotional experiences and foster enhanced interpersonal connections invirtual interactions.</p>