Impact of Smartphone and Device Usage in Children Between 18- and 60-Months Old on the Development of Social Communication: Observational and Cross-Sectional Approaches in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

IF 2 4区医学 Q2 PEDIATRICS

Child Care Health and Development Pub Date : 2025-08-23 DOI:10.1111/cch.70157

Nicola Judith Flynn, Arunima Datta

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

The rapidly increasing use of smartphones/other devices has raised significant concern for parents, clinicians and teachers, especially during and after the global pandemic situation. The study hypothesized that children between the ages of 18 and 60 months might have delayed communication development compared to those in the same age group who did not have any delays because of excessive screen time and the types of content they usually view on their smartphones/other electronic devices.

Method

507 (Group A) children with communication delays and 388 (Group B) children without delays, both boys and girls, aged 18 to 60 months, were included in this observational and cross-sectional study. The developmental milestone of social communication was evaluated using the Bayley scale. Smartphone/other electronic device viewing variables among participants were interviewed. The odds ratio established whether screen time and content typically viewed influence delayed social communication development or not.

Result

In Group A, 71% of children used smartphones or other electronic devices. Group A and Group B had significantly different scores on the Bayley scale, with a p-value of < 0.005. With a p-value of < 0.005, the content that children accessed on their smartphones and other electronic devices was statistically significantly linked to delayed communication.

Conclusion

Our research stated that screen time and content that is typically viewed may be a contributing factor; it is not the sole cause of communication delays because other aspects of a child's environment, including the number of caregivers, the length of time spent with parent–child interaction, the scope of social interaction and the scope of outdoor activities, play a significant role in frequent activities on smartphones/other electronic devices.

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智能手机和设备使用对18至60个月大的儿童社会沟通发展的影响：在印度西孟加拉邦加尔各答的观察和横断面方法

智能手机/其他设备使用的迅速增加引起了家长、临床医生和教师的极大关注，特别是在全球大流行期间和之后。该研究假设，与同龄的孩子相比，年龄在18到60个月之间的孩子可能会延迟沟通发展，因为他们看屏幕的时间太长，而且他们通常在智能手机/其他电子设备上看的内容类型太多。方法选取18 ~ 60月龄有交流迟缓儿童507例（A组）和无交流迟缓儿童388例（B组）进行观察性横断面研究。采用Bayley量表对社会交际发展里程碑进行评价。受访者对智能手机/其他电子设备的观看变量进行了采访。比值比确定了屏幕时间和通常观看的内容是否会延迟社会沟通的发展。结果A组71%的儿童使用智能手机或其他电子设备。A组和B组在Bayley量表上得分有显著差异，p值为<； 0.005。p值为<； 0.005，儿童在智能手机和其他电子设备上访问的内容与延迟沟通有统计学上显著的联系。我们的研究表明，屏幕时间和通常观看的内容可能是影响因素；这并不是导致沟通延迟的唯一原因，因为儿童环境的其他方面，包括照顾者的数量、亲子互动的时间长短、社交互动的范围和户外活动的范围，都在频繁使用智能手机/其他电子设备方面发挥着重要作用。

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

Child Care Health and Development 医学-小儿科

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

5.30%

发文量

136

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Child: care, health and development is an international, peer-reviewed journal which publishes papers dealing with all aspects of the health and development of children and young people. We aim to attract quantitative and qualitative research papers relevant to people from all disciplines working in child health. We welcome studies which examine the effects of social and environmental factors on health and development as well as those dealing with clinical issues, the organization of services and health policy. We particularly encourage the submission of studies related to those who are disadvantaged by physical, developmental, emotional and social problems. The journal also aims to collate important research findings and to provide a forum for discussion of global child health issues.