A new study has some pretty sobering results when it comes to young kids and screen time.
Anywhere from one to four hours of screen time per day at age 1 is linked with greater risks of developmental delays in communication, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal and social skills by age 2. This is according to a study of over 7,000 children published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
The children and their mothers were part of the Japan-based Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study and were recruited between July 2013 and March 2017.
The study kept track of how many hours children used screens per day at age 1 and how they performed in several developmental domains at ages 2 and 4. It was all self-reported by the mothers.
By age 2, those who had had a daily screen time of up to four hours per day were up to three times more likely to experience developmental delays in communication and problem-solving. Four hours or more increased that risk almost to five times as likely.
Equally for those who had spent four or more hours with screens, they were 1.74 times more likely to have subpar fine motor skills and two times more likely to have underdeveloped personal and social skills by age 2.
By age 4, the risks remained only in communication and problem-solving.
If you need to keep your toddler busy without resorting to a screen, recommendations include books, coloring materials, and toys.
