Too much screen time may affect extreme preemies' mental development a

Too much screen time may affect extreme preemies' mental development and behaviour at age 6 - 7

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-13 01:00

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Two hours or more of screen time per day may contribute to an increased risk of cognitive and behavioural problems at age six to seven in extremely premature children, according to US scientists. They looked at 414 kids who were born extremely prematurely, and found screen time of two hours or more per day was linked to an increased risk of these issues, even when other factors, such as socioeconomic status, were taken into account. Although this type of study cannot show that excess screen time actually caused the differences in thinking and behaviour the scientists observed, they suggest parents of extremely premature kids should be made aware of the potential risks of too much screen time.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Pediatrics

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, USA

Funder: The National Institutes of Health (M01 RR30,M01 RR32, M01 RR39, M01 RR54,M01 RR59, M01 RR64,M01 RR80,M01 RR70, M01 RR633,M01 RR750,M01 RR997, UL1 RR25008, UL1 RR25744, UL1 TR442), the NICHD (U10 HD21364, U10 HD21385, U10 HD21373, U10 HD27851, U10 HD27856, U10 HD27880, U10 HD27904, U10 HD34216, U10 HD36790, U10 HD40461, U10 HD40492, U10 HD40689, U10 HD53089, U10 HD53109, U10 HD53119, and U10 HD53124) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) (via co-funding) provided grant support for the NRN’s Extended Follow-up at School Age for the Surfactant Positive Airway Pressure and Pulse Oximetry Randomized Trial (SUPPORT) Neuroimaging and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes (NEURO) Cohort.

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