P088 The Relationship between Screen time, Sleep, and Language Development in Pre-school Aged Children

Abstract

Abstract An increasingly prevalent factor in the preschool years is screen time, with possible implications for sleep and development. Few studies have simultaneously assessed screen time, sleep, and development. I aim to investigate preschoolers’ screen time, sleep, and language development, alongside predictors of screen time, social behaviours, and how sleep supports long-term memory for new words. Screen time durations for educational, entertaining, and relaxing content types, will be recorded over three days. This is to assess whether content types have differing relationships with sleep. If sleep quality and duration are impeded, this may create a cyclical pattern between sedentary behaviour, sleep, and screen time. I will also measure screen times at differing times of the day, and the percentage of time spent interacting with another person or the screen content. Children will be exposed to new words at the beginning of the study and their memory will be tested after three nights. Importantly, assessing the interaction between screen time and sleep, in relation to children’s memory for the new words. Sleep will be measured using actigraphy watches and a sleep diary. Standardised measures of vocabulary and communication will be used to assess children’s language development. As language development is a multifaceted process, assessing predictors, social behaviours, and memory for new words, allows assessment of factors that may benefit or hinder sleep and language development. This comprehensive study will contribute to the understanding of the relationships between screen time, sleep, and language development, and the nuanced factors that relate to its success.