Screen time and diagnoses of anxiety and depression in autistic versus neurotypical youth

Abstract

BackgroundAutistic youth engage in higher levels of screen time and are more likely to have mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety and depression) than their neurotypical peers; however, no study has compared the relationship between daily screen time hours and mental health in autistic and neurotypical youth. Therefore, this study sought to compare the association between parent-reported daily screen time hours and parent-reported anxiety and depression in a large, nationally derived sample of autistic and neurotypical youth (i.e., with data from the National Survey of Children’s Health). MethodSeparate binary logistic regressions were conducted for depression and anxiety as the dependent variable. Screen time was the independent variable of interest in all models. Covariates included were child age, sex, and race, as well as family/household income. Screen time estimates/coefficients were compared across autistic and neurotypical youth. ResultsFindings showed that screen time was significantly associated with anxiety and depression in neurotypical youth; conversely, screen time was not significantly associated with anxiety and depression in autistic youth. ConclusionsResults indicate that autistic children may have a different relationship with electronic screen media than neurotypical children. Whereas neurotypical youth find electronic screen media to be a source of social stress and comparison, autistic youth may not experience screen time as stress-inducing. Supporters (e.g., parents and clinicians) of autistic youth should consider whether the autistic child experiences screen time as promotive, reductive, or neither for their mental health before establishing screen time limits.