Screen time in infants leads to developmental delays in communication and problem-solving

Supporting the earlier research on screen time exposure and developmental delays, a new study found that early exposure to screen time in infants aged 1 year leads to delays in communication and disrupts the problem-solving capacity at 2 and 4 years of age. Developmental delays were more common in those exposed to longer hours of screen time. 

The study results were published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics on August 21, 2023. 

Screen time has been used as a tool by adults to engage kids due to an increase in digital devices and the COVID-19 pandemic. The W.H.O. and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended guidelines on limiting screen time for children aged 2 to 5 years to 1 hour per day. Previous literature has suggested the association between screen time and the outcomes in various domains of child development like developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, attention and behavior problems, cognitive development, and many others. 

Due to a lack of clarity on the effect of screen time on domains of child development, researchers from Japan have conducted a cohort study to examine the association between screen time exposure among children aged 1 year and 5 domains of developmental delay (communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills) at age 2 and 4 years. 

The study was conducted under the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study program. Pregnant women at 50 obstetric clinics and hospitals in the Miyagi and Iwate prefectures in Japan were recruited into the study between July 2013 and March 2017. The information was collected prospectively, and 7097 mother-child pairs were included in the analysis. Four categories of screen time exposure were identified for children aged 1 year (<1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, or ≥4 h/d). Developmental delays in the 5 domains for children aged 2 and 4 years were assessed using the Japanese version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition. Each domain ranged from 0 to 60 points. Developmental delay was defined if the total score for each domain was less than 2 SDs from its mean score. 

Key findings: 

• Of the 7097 children in this study, 3674 were boys (51.8%) and 3423 were girls (48.2%).
• About screen time exposure per day, 3440 children (48.5%) had less than 1 hour, 2095 (29.5%) had 1 to less than 2 hours, 1272 (17.9%) had 2 to less than 4 hours, and 290 (4.1%) had 4 or more hours.
• Children’s screen time was associated with a higher risk of developmental delay at age 2 years in communication, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills domains.
• Regarding the risk of developmental delay at age 4 years, associations were identified in the communication and problem-solving domains. 

Thus, greater screen time was associated with developmental delays in communication and problem-solving at ages 2 and 4 years. Hence, domains of developmental delays should be considered in further research about screen time and child development. 

Further reading: Takahashi I, Obara T, Ishikuro M, et al. Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years. JAMA Pediatr. Published online August 21, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057