Children’s social communication skills and electronic screen exposure, perinatal, and other risk factors

Abstract

To explore if exposure to electronic screen media (ESM) can increase the risk of poor social communication skills in children. Using the stratified, random cluster sampling method, 81,282 children aged 3–12 years from seven districts in Shanghai were investigated in 2014. The children’s social communication skills were measured by the social communication questionnaire (SCQ). More television viewing time every day was positively associated with the positive SCQ group (p ≤ 0.001). There was a dose–effect relationship between television screen time and its associated odds ratios (ORs). However, weekly time spent online or playing games for 3 h or less was negatively associated with the positive SCQ group (p < 0.05) by a multivariable logistic regression model. Other child and family characteristics were also found to impact SCQ performance. Significant associations of child and family characteristics with poor SCQ status were revealed in the Chinese children, which may be crucial for early intervention. To assess effects on children’s social development, screen time and multiple patterns of screen use should be considered for future guidelines and policies.