The University of Yamanashi researchers recently discovered a statistically substantial link among boys between the amount of screen time they're getting at a very young age and being diagnosed later with an autism spectrum disorder or ASD, although no association was found between screen time and ASD among girls.
A CTV News report specified that boys who were in front of the screen for longer times at one year old have a greater link with ASD at three years old.
Previous research proposed similar associations between ASD characteristics, although there have been few studies that examined screen time at age of one year old, the study authors said. This research provides a new understanding of the link and the onset of autism in early childhood.
Not all studies have shown a clear-cut association, though. For instance, Canadian research published in 2021 in Frontiers in Psychiatry, that investigated the effect of prolonged screen time during the pandemic, showed that the kids' parents with and without ASD reported both positive and negative effects in almost equal measure.
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New research found boys who were in front of the screen for longer times at one year old have a greater link with ASD at three years old.
Correlation vs Causation
Senior scientist, Dr. Azadeh Kushki, from the Autism Research Center at Bloorview Research Institue, who was not part of the Japan research, but was the lead investigator for the said Canadian research in October, warned that it was essential to differentiate correlation from causation.
He added, there could be several reasons kids who are getting more screen time may have a higher risk of autism, as well.
Correlation takes place when two things are changing together, although one is not essentially the cause or reason for such a change in the other.
Meanwhile, causation is when an action directly leads to a particular result. Meaning, correlation does not infer causation, an essential concept in statistics and science.
1-Year-Old Boys with Prolonged Screen Time
Kushki explained, they're finding that kids "watching more screen time at age of one" were more likely to have autism, although this does not mean that longer periods of screen time cause autism.
Screen time may be considered a marker, not a cause for autism, added the senior scientist. These children may have different interests, sensory experiences, social motivations, or other differences that may augment their association with screen time.
In this new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, mothers were asked the number of hours each day their kids were allowed to watch TV when they reached the age of one year old.
Answers were classified from "no screen time, less than an hour, an hour or more" but less than two hours, two hours or longer but less than four hours, and four hours or longer.
Probability of Having ASD
When the child reached the age of three, similar questions were asked in a follow-up study that also comprised questions on whether the child has been diagnosed with autism after the age of two.
As a result, data analysis showed a substantial difference among boys who reportedly had between the age of two and below four hours of screen time, according to researchers.
The research made an initiative as well, to adjust for variables such as a predisposition to ASD through standardized screening questionnaires, anxiety disorders, as well as other mental and neurological conditions, and socioeconomic factors, although the study authors acknowledge that further study was needed to look at other factors that come with it.
Related information about the impact of screen time on ASD is shown on Continua Kids' YouTube video below:
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