Tokyo, 23 August, 2023(GNP): The Journal of American Medical Association published a scientific investigation report on Monday, assessing the association of screen time with developmental delays in children.
The report revealed that increased screen time enhances vulnerability to communication and socialization problems in children. Screen time in children is seen as a significant factor for developmental delays and causes cognitive impairments in children, unraveled by a recent research by JAMA.
The study enrolled 7097 mother and child pairs who were assessed with a cohort research design. Data was collected in four intervals over four years, once a year. The researchers took into consideration all the sociodemographic characteristics of children and their parents.
Screen time association with cognitive impairments
The Age of the mother, monthly income of the family, educational level, postpartum depression in mothers, and children’s activities were studied as covariates. This study is adding some new and valuable knowledge to earlier findings by researchers. Such findings are also raising questions about the enhanced use of virtual and augmented reality applications in schooling. These are termed by education experts as helpful for child cognitive development.
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The results showed that screen time in children varies. 48% of children had screen time of less than 1 hour, and 20% used it for 1-2 hours. 4% of children had more than four hours.
Resultantly, 5.6% children were identified with gross motor delays, while 5.5% were having delayed personal and social skills development by the age of 2 years. Delays in personal and social skills were also prominent in 4.6% of children at the age of 4 years.
The emergence of video platforms and the increase in average screen time
YouTube channels presenting cartoons and video content for children have emerged rapidly. According to Statista 2023, the top 10 YouTube channels for children have over 385.3 million subscribers. During the COVID-19 pandemic average screen time in children has increased by 52% as many You Tube channels claim their content is essential for learning and child skills development.
A study on children and screens found that watching television for an extended time can cause systemic diseases later in life. Such a cohort study reported the development of metabolic syndromes in the fourth decade of life.
A new longitudinal #study in @aap_peds looked at the relationship between #tv viewing through childhood and adolescence and several outcomes of #PhysicalHealth in middle age, including an increased risk for metabolic syndrome and higher BMI.
Read study: https://t.co/4pDhzwl9Ip pic.twitter.com/J6vA20mhiz
— Children and Screens (@childrenscreens) August 25, 2023
However, so far researchers have denied the claim of diseases associated with screen time.
