Slower Development of Young Children May Be Linked to Excess Screen Time

Children aged 2 and 3 years who spend a greater amount of time watching TV or playing on a smartphone or computer than their peers may be less likely to meet developmental milestones by age 5, suggests astudy published today inJAMA Pediatrics.“To our knowledge, the present study is the first to provide evidence of a directional association between screen time and poor performance on development screening tests among very young children,” wrote Sheri Madigan, Ph.D., of the University of Calgary and colleagues. “As technology use is entrenched in the modern-day lives of individuals, understanding the directional association between screen time and its correlates and taking family-based steps to engage with technology in positive ways may be fundamental to ensuring developmental success of children growing up in a digital age.”Madigan and colleagues analyzed data from more than 2,400 typically developing children and their mothers who were part of the All Our Families study. The study included assessments when the children were 24, 36, and 60 months of age. At each assessment, the mothers reported their child ’s average weekly screen time and completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3)—a questionnaire that tracks progress in five developmental areas: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, and personal-social behavior.On average, children aged 24, 36, and 60 months in the study viewed screens approximately 17, 25,...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: ASQ-3 child and adolescent psychiatry development media screen time Sheri Madigan television toddler Source Type: research