Is Screen Time a Symptom or a Cause of Autism? New Study Sheds Light

Their findings revealed that children genetically predisposed to ASD tend to spend more time on screens. On the other hand, children with ADHD showed an increase in screen time as they aged, regardless of their initial screen usage. These findings were recently published in the journalPeople are increasingly spending their time looking at the screens of their digital devices. This is especially true for children with neurodevelopmental disorders who tend to use screens for longer periods.

The lead researcher, Dr. Nagahide Takahashi of Nagoya University, explained: “Overall, those with a genetic risk of ASD were 1.5 times more likely to be in the group with about three hours of screen time per day, and 2.1 times more likely to be in the group with more than four hours of screen time.” “While long periods of screen time in childhood have been suggested to be a cause of ASD/ADHD, the results of this study suggest that some people may have a genetic disposition to use screens because of ASD,” he said. “Screen time may be an early sign of ASD, rather than a cause, as children with ASD are often more attracted to objects than people. Physicians should know that it is not fair to conclude that prolonged screen time is a risk factor for the development of ASD.

These results may also help parents devise better child-rearing strategies. “Parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders may feel guilty or be criticized by others for allowing their children screen time,” Takahashi said. “However, we would recommend offering help to caregivers including offering alternative behavioral management strategies.”

Reference: “The association between screen time and genetic risks for neurodevelopmental disorders in children” by Nagahide Takahashi, Kenji J. Tsuchiya, Akemi Okumura, Taeko Harada, Toshiki Iwabuchi, Md Shafiur Rahman, Hitoshi Kuwabara, Yoko Nomura and Tomoko Nishimura, 2 August 2023,SciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998. Keep up with the latest scitech news via email or social media.

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