Research from Tohoku University in Japan links screen time to developmental delays in one-year-old children, particularly in communication and problem-solving skills, highlighting the need for a nuanced understanding and further research into the effects of various types of screen exposure.
A study conducted by Tohoku University in collaboration with Hamamatsu University School of Medicine and published in JAMA Pediatrics found a correlation between screen time and developmental delays in one-year-old children.
This study involved 7097 mother-child pairs from the Northeast Medical Large Database Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. The study assessed each child's exposure to screens, including television, video games, tablets, cell phones and other electronic devices, through questionnaires filled out by parents.
Children in the study were almost evenly divided between boys (51.8%) and girls (48.2%). Their screen time was categorized as less than one hour (48.5% of subjects), one hour to less than two hours (29.5%), two hours to less than four hours (17.9%), and four hours or more (4.1%).
Children's developmental assessments at ages two and four include five areas: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal and social skills. Previous relevant studies generally did not subdivide children's development into different areas, so the data provided were not granular enough.
Researchers used a well-established statistical technique to evaluate the relationship between screen time at one year of age and developmental delays later in life and found a dose-response relationship; meaning the degree of developmental delay (response) is related to the amount of screen time (dose).
For two-year-olds, increased screen time at one year of age was associated with developmental delays in all areas except gross motor skills. However, by age four, increased screen time was associated with developmental delays only in the areas of communication and problem solving.
"The varying degrees of developmental delays in each area, and the fact that delays in some of these areas were not found at each life stage studied, suggest that these areas should be considered separately in future discussions of the association between screen time and child development," said Taku Obara, an epidemiologist at Tohoku University and corresponding author of the study.
One of the reasons for the study is that the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recently released evidence showing that only a small number of children meet guidelines for limiting screen time. These guidelines are designed to ensure that children engage in adequate physical activity and social interaction.
"The rapid proliferation of digital devices and the impact of the COVID pandemic have significantly increased screen time among children and adolescents, but this study does not simply make recommendations to limit screen time. This study suggests an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship, between screen time and developmental delays. We use the term 'delay' based on previous research, but whether this developmental difference is truly a 'delay' is questionable. We hope to gain deeper insights in future studies by examining the effects of different types of screen exposure."
Reference "Screen time at 1 year old and developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at 2 and 4 years old" by Ippei Takahashi, Taku Ohara, Asami Ishiguro, Keiko Murakami, Fumihiko Ueno, Aoi Noda, Tomomi Onuma, Motoki Shinoda, Tomoko Nishimura, Kenji Tsuchiya, Shinichi Kuriyama, Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.
DOI:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057
Compiled source: ScitechDaily