Media Consumption by Preschool Children: The Risk of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

IF 7.1 2区医学 Q1 MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL

Deutsches Arzteblatt international Pub Date : 2025-08-08 DOI:10.3238/arztebl.m2025.0087

Inge Kamp-Becker, Luise Poustka

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a persistent neu - rodevelopmental condition characterized by impaired social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, typically manifesting in early childhood. The rising prevalence of ASD has been discussed in relation to increased media consumption.

Methods: A selective literature search was conducted in the Medline database on the topics of media consumption and mental disorders, particularly autism, in preschool children. Seven systematic reviews and meta-analyses and 36 original studies were included in the analysis.

Results: The findings across studies consistently demonstrated that media consumption in preschool children was associated with deficits in language and cognitive development (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.67-2.28) and was a risk factor for the development of emotional, behavioral, and developmental disorders (aOR: 1.34-3.06). Symptoms consistent with ASD were also found to be associated with increased media consumption (OR 1.97, 95% confidence interval [1.30; 3.00]). However, these observed effects were consistently identified in the context of multiple other risk factors for mental health problems-such as low socioeconomic status, a family history of mental disorders, or parental stress-which mediated these effects, either directly or indirectly. Intervention studies showed that reducing media consumption, combined with an increase in constructive parent-child interactions, led to a reduction in symptom severity.

Conclusion: In the context of additional risk factors, increased media consumption in young children is associated with atypical or delayed development. The extent of developmental disorders can be reduced through targeted support for parents. When risk factors are present, it is therefore essential to educate parents and implement preventive measures to promote the long-term healthy development of children.

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学龄前儿童的媒体消费：自闭症和发育障碍的风险。

背景：自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种持续的神经发育疾病，其特征是社交障碍和存在限制，重复的行为模式，通常在儿童早期表现出来。ASD患病率的上升与媒体消费的增加有关。方法：在Medline数据库中选择性检索学龄前儿童媒体消费与精神障碍，特别是自闭症的相关文献。7项系统综述和荟萃分析以及36项原始研究被纳入分析。结果：所有研究的结果一致表明，学龄前儿童的媒体消费与语言和认知发展缺陷有关（调整优势比[aOR] 1.67-2.28），并且是情感、行为和发育障碍发展的危险因素（aOR: 1.34-3.06）。与ASD一致的症状也被发现与媒体使用增加有关(OR 1.97, 95%可信区间[1.30；3.00])。然而，这些观察到的影响是在精神健康问题的多个其他风险因素的背景下一致确定的，例如低社会经济地位、精神障碍家族史或父母压力，这些因素直接或间接地介导了这些影响。干预研究表明，减少媒体消费，加上增加建设性的亲子互动，导致症状严重程度降低。结论：在其他危险因素的背景下，幼儿媒体消费增加与不典型或发育迟缓有关。通过对父母的有针对性的支持，可以减少发育障碍的程度。因此，在存在风险因素的情况下，必须对父母进行教育并采取预防措施，以促进儿童的长期健康发展。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Deutsches Arzteblatt international 医学-医学：内科

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

5.20%

发文量

306

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Deutsches Ärzteblatt International is a bilingual (German and English) weekly online journal that focuses on clinical medicine and public health. It serves as the official publication for both the German Medical Association and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. The journal is dedicated to publishing independent, peer-reviewed articles that cover a wide range of clinical medicine disciplines. It also features editorials and a dedicated section for scientific discussion, known as correspondence. The journal aims to provide valuable medical information to its international readership and offers insights into the German medical landscape. Since its launch in January 2008, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International has been recognized and included in several prestigious databases, which helps to ensure its content is accessible and credible to the global medical community. These databases include: Carelit CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) Compendex DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) EMBASE (Excerpta Medica database) EMNursing GEOBASE (Geoscience & Environmental Data) HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative) Index Copernicus Medline (MEDLARS Online) Medpilot PsycINFO (Psychological Information Database) Science Citation Index Expanded Scopus By being indexed in these databases, Deutsches Ärzteblatt International's articles are made available to researchers, clinicians, and healthcare professionals worldwide, contributing to the global exchange of medical knowledge and research.