Prevalence of excessive screen time and its association with developmental delay in children aged

Abstract

The global growth of electronic media usage among children has caused concerns regarding screen time (ST) impact on child development. No previous population-based studies have evaluated ST and child development in India. This study aimed to determine the burden of ST, associated sociodemographic factors, and its impact on domains of child development. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of rural and urban health centers in Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 718 children (396 rural and 322 urban) were selected, using a cluster random sampling method. ST estimates were obtained from parents/guardian after a 7-day observation period. The Communication DEALL Developmental Checklist was used to assess child development. The mean ST was 2.39 hours/day (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.23–2.54), and the prevalence of excessive ST was 73% (95% CI: 69.2–76.8). Excessive ST was significantly associated with the mothers’ ST, screen usage at bedtime, birth order (in children < 2 years), and attending school (in children ≥ 2 years). Increased ST was significantly associated with developmental delay, in particular, in the domains of language acquisition and communication. In children aged ≥ 2 years, a delay in ≥ 3 domains was associated with ST (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 17.75, 95% CI: 5.04–62.49, p < 0.001), as was language delay (AOR = 52.92, 95% CI: 12.33–227.21, p < 0.001). In children aged < 2 years, a delay in ≥ 2 domains was associated with ST (AOR = 16.79, 95% CI: 2.26–124.4, p < 0.001), as was language delay (AOR = 20.93, 95% CI: 2.68–163.32, p < 0.01). A very high prevalence of excessive ST was identified, with a significant association with developmental delay in children. There is an urgent need to include education on ST limits at the primary healthcare level.