New Study Links Screen Time at Age 1 to Developmental Delays in Children
Screen time, especially for young children, has been associated with negative effects on attention, mental health, and weight gain. Now, researchers have discovered yet another reason to be cautious about allowing very young kids to become obsessed with screens: a new study has found that increased screen time at age 1 is linked to a higher risk of certain developmental delays later in childhood.
The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, involved researchers from two universities in Japan who followed 7,097 mother-child pairs when the children were aged 1, 2, and 4. The researchers asked about screen time habits and measured five types of developmental ability at each point. They classified children into four groups based on their daily screen time: less than one hour, one to two hours, two to four hours, or four or more hours.
The findings revealed that the more screen time children were exposed to at age 1, the more likely they were to experience a developmental delay in communication by age 2. The risk of a communication-related developmental delay at age 2 was nearly five times higher for kids who had four or more hours of screen time per day at age 1 compared to those who had less than one hour. Even children with one to two hours of screen time per day had an increased risk of a developmental delay in communication.
Furthermore, two-year-olds who had more than four hours of screen time at age 1 were also more likely to face developmental delays in personal and social skills, problem-solving abilities, and fine motor skills. Even children with two to four hours of screen time per day showed an increased risk of a problem-solving developmental delay.
The study also revealed that screen time at age 1 still posed some risk of developmental delays by the time the children turned 4. Four-year-olds who had more than two hours of screen time at age 1 had a risk of communication developmental delay, and those who had four or more hours of screen time per day were at risk of a problem-solving delay.
These findings align with the World Health Organization’s recommendation of no screen time for children younger than 2 years old. However, many parents find it challenging to completely eliminate screen time, considering its prevalence in everyday life. The key is moderation and ensuring that children engage in real-life social interactions.
“It just has to be in moderation. With a heavy dose of real-life social interaction,” advised David Lewkowicz, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist at the Yale Child Study Center. “Talk to your child as much as you can, face-to-face as much as you can.”
The reason behind the link between screen time at age 1 and developmental delays in early childhood is that young children cannot effectively learn from screens. “Kids learn how to talk if they’re encouraged to talk, and very often, if they’re just watching a screen, they’re not having an opportunity to practice talking,” explained John Hutton, M.D., a pediatrics professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
However, the long-term implications of these developmental delays on a child’s overall development remain uncertain. The study did not determine whether these delays persist beyond age 4 and impact a child’s performance in school or later in life.
It is also important to note that not all developmental delays are cause for concern. “We don’t panic when we see a small delay, and if a child’s delayed in one area, sometimes it just needs to be monitored,” explained Susan Buttross, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Mississippi. “But if they’re delayed in several different areas, we become a little more concerned and we’ll move to a real evaluation.”
While screen time has become an integral part of modern life, parents must be mindful of its impact on their children’s development. Encouraging real-life interactions, limiting screen time, and monitoring developmental milestones are crucial for ensuring healthy growth and development in young children.