To Your Health
January, 2024 (Vol. 18, Issue 01) |
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No Digital for Baby
By Editorial Staff
How much digital media (essentially, anything viewed on a screen, particularly TV / video) does your child watch on an average day (number of hours) at 12, 18 and 24 months of age? That's the question asked to parents in an illuminating study that assessed the impact of TV / video on young children's sensory processing abilities at 33 months. The results should make you reconsider handing that tablet to your young child, or plopping them down in front of the TV, so often (if at all).
According to the study, early-life exposure to digital media is associated with atypical sensory processing in all four domains of the Infant-Toddler Sensory Profile (low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding). The Infant-Toddler Sensory Profile is used to assess how sensory processing affects daily functioning. Per study findings, which appear in JAMA Pediatrics:
"Screen exposure at 12 months of age was associated with a 2-fold increased odds of being in the high category of low registration … while the odds of being in the low category instead of the typical category decreased for sensation seeking … sensation avoiding … and low registration ... At 18 months of age, greater screen exposure was associated with increased risk of high sensation … and low registration … At 24 months of age, greater screen exposure was associated with increased risk of high sensation seeking … sensory sensitivity … and sensation avoiding."
Dysfunction with regard to how your child processes sensory stimuli may be linked to behavioral and neurodevelopmental problems. To learn more about atypical sensory processing, including examples of low registration, etc., click here.
