Longer Screen time associated with autism spectrum disorder in Infants: JAMA

Longer screen use at 1 year of age was connected with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 3 years of age in males, says an article published in the Journal of American Medical Association on 31st January, 2022. However, It is uncertain to what degree infant screen usage is linked to the later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

This study was conducted by Megumi Kushima and team with the objective to look at the relationship between screen usage in childhood and the development of autism spectrum disorder at the age of three.

The data from mother-child dyads in a large birth cohort in Japan were evaluated in this cohort research. Children born to women enrolled between January 2011 and March 2014 were included in this study, and data were examined in December 2020. The Japan Environment and Children's Study Group conducted the research in partnership with 15 regional centers around Japan. The screen time limitation was set at one year of age. A questionnaire sent to the mothers of the participating children was used to assess the outcome variable, children identified with autism spectrum disorder at the age of three.

The key findings of this study were as follow:

1. A total of 84 030 mother-child dyads were investigated.

2. At 3 years of age, the prevalence of children with autism spectrum disorder was 392 per 100 000 (0.4%), and males were three times more likely than girls to have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

3. When "no screen" was used as the reference, the adjusted odds ratios for boys were as follows: less than 1 hour, odds ratio, 1.38, 1 hour to less than 2 hours, odds ratio, 2.16, 2 hours to less than 4 hours, odds ratio, 3.48, and more than 4 hours, odds ratio, 3.02.

4. However, there was no link between autism spectrum condition and screen use in girls.

In conclusion, even after controlling for propensity to ASD at 1 year of age and maternal maltreatment variables, higher screen time at 1 year of age was related with ASD at 3 years of age in boys in this cohort research. With the fast growth in gadget usage, it is vital to assess its health impacts on newborns and limit excessive screen time.

Reference:

Kushima M, Kojima R, Shinohara R, et al. Association Between Screen Time Exposure in Children at 1 Year of Age and Autism Spectrum Disorder at 3 Years of Age: The Japan Environment and Children's Study. JAMA Pediatr. Published online January 31, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5778