Adit Bassi
Sep 30, 2021
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Abstract
BackgroundChildren and young people are growing up in an environment where screens are abundant, and such devices are being used and improved at a rapid rate. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem with the widescale introduction and significantly increased use of initiatives such as online learning. Due to measures such as lockdown and people having to remain indoors and at home as much as possible, many new mothers have found it hard to engage and stimulate their young children without using devices with screens.There is very limited information clearly available for those with young children and I aim to explore the relationship between screen time and delayed development in toddlers.ObjectivesDetermine the literature currently present regarding screen time and its impact on children and young people with a specific focus on sleep and how it affects circadian rhythms.Locate relevant guidelines and information relating to screen time in the UK and analyse this along with the available literature.MethodsA comprehensive search of the literature was undertaken to assess relevant data and studies pertaining to the described objectives. This included search terms and MeSH such as ‘sleep’, ‘child*’, ‘screen time’ and ‘development’ with differing Boolean operators to narrow the search criteria.After analysis of the literature and further research of applicable guidelines, two representative papers were described in detail on the poster with conclusions drawn and recommendations detailed.ResultsAlthough a number of covariates were identified such as socioeconomic status, child’s physical activity levels and parental media-habits, many studies concluded that there was an association between increased screen time and delayed development. In particular, higher levels of screen time in children aged 2 and 3 were associated with poor performance on the developmental milestones and that irrespective of other covariates, screen time usage was a factor associated with fewer hours of sleep and longer sleep latency.A lack of focused guidelines in the UK was uncovered with the majority of evidence being low quality.ConclusionsThe neuronal connections formed in the first 3 years of life are of utmost importance and it has been shown that increased screen time in early life has been associated with a negative impact on sleep and therefore neurodevelopmental outcomes. Adequate circadian rhythms are required to achieve optimal neurodevelopment and overexposure to the bright blue light emissions, particularly in the hours before sleeping, has been linked with suppression of endogenous melatonin.It is imperative that more information be made available to expectant and new mothers regarding screen time and the effects that it can have on their infants. Furthermore, clear guidelines should be developed to allow clinicians to adequately advise families about what is right for their toddlers.