METHODS: The study uses data from the Danish large-scale survey TRACES among two- and three-year-old children (n = 31,125). Mobile device screen time was measured as time spent on mobile devices on a normal day. Measurement of language comprehension and expressive language skills was based on subscales from the Five to Fifteen Toddlers questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development and logistic regression to examine the risk of experiencing significant language difficulties. Joint exposure analyses were used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development difficulties in combination with three other factors related to the domestic learning environment: parental education, reading to the child and child TV/PC screen time.
RESULTS: High mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day was significantly associated with poorer language development scores and higher odds for both language comprehension difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.30; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.42) and expressive language skills difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.19; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.46). The results suggest that reading frequently to the child partly buffers the negative effect of high mobile device screen time on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties. No modifying effect of parental education and time spent by the child on TV/PC was found.
CONCLUSIONS: Mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day is associated with poorer language development among toddlers. Reading frequently to the child may have a buffering effect on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties.
方法:该研究使用了丹麦对2岁和3岁儿童(n=31,125)进行的大规模TRACES调查数据。移动设备屏幕时间被测量为在正常的一天在移动设备上花费的时间。语言理解和表达语言技能的测量是基于5至15幼儿问卷的子量表。使用多变量线性回归来检查儿童移动设备屏幕时间与语言发展之间的关联,并使用逻辑回归来检查经历重大语言困难的风险。联合暴露分析用于检查儿童移动设备屏幕时间与语言发展困难之间的关联,并结合与家庭学习环境相关的其他三个因素:父母教育,阅读儿童和儿童电视/电脑屏幕的时间。
结果:每天1小时或更长时间的移动设备屏幕时间与较差的语言发展分数和较高的语言理解困难(1-2小时:AOR=1.30;≥2小时:AOR=1.42)和表达语言技能困难(1-2小时:AOR=1.19;≥2小时:AOR=1.46)的几率显着相关。结果表明,经常给孩子阅读部分缓冲了移动设备屏幕时间过长对语言理解困难的负面影响,而不是对表达语言技能困难的负面影响。未发现父母教育和孩子在电视/PC上花费的时间的改变作用。
结论:每天一小时或更长时间的移动设备屏幕时间与幼儿语言发育较差有关。经常给孩子阅读可能对语言理解困难有缓冲作用,但对表达语言技能困难没有缓冲作用。