Too much smartphone viewing by young children affects development

Sendai: A study has shown that children watching poems or cartoons on TV, tablets and phones can slow down their speech ability and development.

Researchers at Japan’s Tohoku University found that one-year-olds with the most screen time had the lowest growth.

Researchers examined 7,000 children (half boys and half girls) between 2013 and 2017 in the study.

In the study, scientists examined children’s vocalizations, speech, comprehension, and arm, body, and leg movements.

In addition, the scientists examined the children’s fine motor, hand and finger movements, and problem-solving skills, such as learning processes and playing with toys.

Children were also examined on their personal and social skills. These included their playing alone and with others and playing with toys and other children.

Parents of these children were given a questionnaire asking them about the amount of time their children spend on TV, video games and internet games (including mobile phones and tablets).

Options listed on the questionnaire included none, less than one hour, between one and two hours, between two and four hours or four hours or more per day.

Researchers found that half (48.5 percent) of children had less than an hour of screen time. 29.5 percent had between one and two hours, 17.9 percent between two and four hours while 4.1 percent had more than four hours of screen time per day.

According to research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, scientists found that excessive screen time at age one was associated with children having problems with fine motor skills, social and interpersonal skills by age two.