Increased TV/DVD screen time at 1 and 2 years of age negatively affects developmental performance at 2 and 3 years of age, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Midori Yamamoto, Ph.D., from Chiba University in Japan, and colleagues investigated the directional association between TV/DVD screen time and developmental performance at ages 1 to 3 years in a longitudinal cohort study. The analysis included data from 57,980 children participating in the Japan Environment and Children's Study. The Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition, was used to assess child development at ages 1, 2, and 3 years.

The researchers observed a negative association between screen time and developmental scores. Increased TV/DVD screen times at ages 1 and 2 years were associated with lower later developmental scores (2 years: β = −0.05; 3 years: β = −0.08). There was an opposite association between the communication domain score at ages 1 and 2 years and subsequent screen time (2 years: γ = −0.03; 3 years: γ = −0.06).

"In this study, increased screen time in early childhood was negatively associated with poor performance on developmental screeners," the authors write. "To reduce the negative consequences of excessive media use, researchers and health care professionals should encourage family media management and recommend social support for parents who tend to rely on the media."

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