Fresh research indicates that infants aged one who are exposed to extended screen time might face an elevated risk of encountering developmental delays at the ages of two and four.
For parents permitting their babies to engage with televisions, smartphones, tablets, and similar gadgets, it might be worth reconsidering this practice. Recent findings propose that excessive screen use might not contribute positively to a child’s cognitive growth.
Earlier investigations have already hinted at the possibility that prolonged screen engagement during infancy could lead to weaker cognitive functioning in childhood. Additionally, youngsters who spend excessive hours in front of screens may have a heightened susceptibility to depression and anxiety during their adolescent years.
The most recent study, published on August 21 in JAMA Pediatrics, has uncovered connections between screen time engagement among one-year-olds and the onset of developmental delays at ages two and four.
The study encompassed 7,097 children and their guardians in Japan. These participants were recruited from 50 obstetric clinics and hospitals between July 2013 and March 2017, during the prenatal period.
The researchers gauged the screen time exposure of the young participants at the age of one through parental questionnaires. Subsequently, they evaluated the presence of developmental delays at ages two and four, utilizing the Japanese edition of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition.
At the age of one, the data revealed that 51.8% of the children had engaged in screen time for less than an hour, 29.5% for 1 to less than 2 hours, 17.9% for 2 to less than 4 hours, and 4.1% for 4 or more hours.
When these children reached ages two and four, evaluations of developmental delays indicated a correlation between their screen engagement at age one and delays in communication, gross and fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, as well as personal and social skills.
Specifically, at the age of two, in comparison to children with under one hour of daily screen time, those with four or more hours were:
Nearly five times more likely to exhibit communication delays Almost three times more likely to display delays in problem-solving abilities Twice as likely to manifest delays in personal and social skills Close to twice as likely to experience delays in fine motor skills One and a half times more prone to encountering delays in gross motor skills Among four-year-olds, when contrasted with those with less than one hour of screen time, those exposed to four or more hours of daily device usage were almost three times more inclined to encounter communication skill delays and nearly twice as likely to experience delays in problem-solving abilities.
However, among four-year-olds, other aspects such as personal and social skills, as well as fine and gross motor skills, did not seem to be impacted by their screen time engagement at age one.
Nonetheless, the study’s authors suggest that even though excessive screen time might have detrimental effects on development, educational programs offered through screens could produce a contrary impact. They reference a prior study that linked screen time spent on educational content with an enhancement in language skills.
Acknowledging the challenges of limiting screen time in the modern era of electronic devices, the authors propose the identification and restriction of screen time elements associated with developmental delays, while harnessing the educational benefits.
Furthermore, parents who wish to curtail their children’s screen time can adopt intervention strategies to modify their screen-related habits.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Digest Pulse journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
