Types of Screen Time and Developmental Outcomes Among Children Aged 0-6 Years in Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Sukritta Jaichomcheun, Wachira Suriyawong, Pataporn Bawornthip and 1 others
PMID 42760822WHAT IT FOUND
More recreational screen time was linked with more suspected developmental delays in Thai children.
Educational and communication-based screen time were linked with fewer language and personal-social delays in some analyses.
Key findings
01Each additional hour of total screen time was associated with higher odds of suspected developmental delays across all developmental domains.
02Recreational screen time demonstrated the strongest and most consistent associations across all developmental domains, with the largest effects observed for receptive language (aOR 2.39, 95% CI 1.73–3.30) and personal–social delays (aOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.68–3.08).
03Educational screen time was associated with lower odds of receptive language (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.23–0.88) and expressive language delays (aOR 0.40, 95% CI 0.16–0.99), whereas communication-based screen time was associated with lower odds of personal-social delay (aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.02–0.95).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study measured screen time and development at one time point, so it cannot show which came first or that screen time caused delay. Screen time was reported by caregivers, so recall bias is possible. Children who already had a diagnosed developmental delay or neurodevelopmental disorder were excluded, so the findings do not describe those children. Participants were recruited from community kindergartens and primary healthcare centres in Thailand using convenience sampling within selected areas, so results may not generalise to other settings. Suspected delay was based on pass/fail items from a screening tool.
Declared interests
The authors received no specific funding and declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing screen time will prevent or treat developmental delay. This was a cross-sectional association study, not an intervention trial, and it cannot show that screen time caused the delays.