Displacement of Peer Play by Screen Time in Early Childhood: Relations with Developmental Delays

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Recent cohort studies indicate that most families do not follow the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines regarding screen time for young children (AAP Council On Communications and Media, 2016; Barber et al., 2017; Radesky & Christakis, 2016; Trinh et al., 2020). The amount of screen time in which young children engage has been associated with poorer cognitive development, especially among children under 2 years (Anderson et al., 2017; Linebarger & Vaala, 2010; Madigan et al., 2019; Zimmerman & Christakis, 2005), but it is unclear why screen time has negative effects. One long-standing theory is that screen time displaces other important activities that contribute to healthy child development (Lizandra et al., 2019; Roberts et al., 1993). For example, screen time has been shown to displace physical activity (Chen et al., 2020; Lizandra et al., 2019). However, the displacement hypothesis (Roberts et al., 1993) has rarely been explored in toddlers, especially in relation to behaviors that promote cognitive and socioemotional development at that age, such as play with peers.

The Upstate KIDS Study is a prospective population-based birth cohort (2008-2010) (Buck Louis et al., 2014). A total of 3894 children (either singletons or a randomly-selected child from multiples) with activity time data available from at least one point from 12 to 36 months of age were included. When children were 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months, mothers reported the number of hours their children spent engaging with screens and playing with other children. At 12 and 36 months, mothers completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire© (ASQ; Gollenberg et al., 2010; Squires & Bricker, 2009), an assessment of their child’s developmental status overall and in five subdomains (see Table 1).

To separate the stable between-person effects from within-person changes of screen time and peer play time (Madigan et al., 2019), we used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (Hamaker et al., 2015) to assess relations between screen time and play time, followed by logistic regressions to assess associations between stable aspects of screen time and play time with developmental status on the ASQ at 36 months. Screen time from 12 to 36 months was associated with less time engaging in play with peers, β = -.16, 95%CI = -.23 – -.09. Accounting for ASQ at 12 months, family sociodemographic indicators, and child characteristics, screen time was not directly associated with developmental delay at 36 months (OR=1.12; 95%CI = 0.83-1.52), but more peer play time was associated with a lower likelihood of developmental delay (OR=0.73; 95%CI = 0.61-0.88). The indirect effect of screen time on developmental delay through play time (OR=1.09; 95%CI = 1.01-1.18) suggested that when controlling for family and child characteristics, having higher screen time increased the likelihood of developmental delay through reduced peer play time. Results were similar for developmental delays in fine and gross motor, communication, and personal-social subdomains (Table 1).

Screen time in early childhood displaced time spent playing with peers. One potential mechanism of screen time’s effects on early child development is through reduced interaction with other children.

Authors

• Diane L Putnick, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD/NIH)
  Presenting Author

• Mai-Han Trinh, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rajeshwari Sundaram, National Institutes of Health
  Non-Presenting Author

• Erin M Bell, State University of New York at Albany
  Non-Presenting Author

• Akhgar Ghassabian, New York University School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sonia L Robinson, National Institutes of Health
  Non-Presenting Author

• Edwina Yeung, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  Non-Presenting Author