Screen Time at Age 1 Year associated with Communication and Developmental Delay

A new study investigated the association between screen time exposure in children aged one year and developmental delays across five domains (communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills) at ages 2 and 4 years.

This study was carried out under the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study in Japan and included 7097 mother-child pairs recruited between 2013 and 2017.

Here, children belonging to the screen time exposure categories (<1, 1 to <2, 2 to <4, or ≥4 hours per day) were assessed, and developmental delays were evaluated using the Japanese version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition.

The results revealed that children with greater screen time at age one year had a higher risk of developmental delays in communication and problem-solving at ages 2 and 4 years. The associations were dose-dependent, with longer screen time associated with increased odds of developmental delays in these domains.

Therefore, prolonged screen time during infancy (age one year) is linked to delays in communication and problem-solving skills in early childhood. The study emphasized the importance of considering specific domains of developmental delay separately in discussions about screen time and child development.

Source: Takahashi I, Obara T, Ishikuro M, Murakami K, Ueno F, Noda A, Onuma T, Shinoda G, Nishimura T, Tsuchiya KJ, Kuriyama S. JAMA Pediatrics. 2023 Oct 1;177(10):1039-46.