DR ANWAAR KHURSHID , SYEDA MEHR BATOOL , DR NIMRA WAQAR , DR HIRA AHMED
DOI: https://doi.org/Objective: To establish the correlation between duration of screen time and language delay in children aged between 2-5 years.
Place and Duration of Study: This cross-sectional research was done in Paediatric Department of Children Hospital and Institute of Child Health, Faisalabad for a six-month period between January 2024 and June 2024.
Methodology: Non-probability consecutive sampling was applied to reach a total of 288 patients (children aged 2-5 years). WHO formula sample size calculator was used to determine the sample size. The children who reported to the outpatient department within the study period were enrolled provided they had informed consent of their parents or guardians. Children that had a known neurological disorder, hearing impairment, developmental disorder, or congenital anomalies were not eligible. Screen time duration was determined using a structured questionnaire that the parents filled in where children were classified to include: 0 to 1 hour daily, 1 to 2 hours daily and more than 2 hours daily. Language development was also measured using standardized language assessment tool which was age-related. The SPSS version 26 was used to analyse the data. The chi-square test was used to establish the relationship between screen time and language delay with a p-value of 0.05 deemed to be of statistical significance.
Results: There were 288 patients (162 males and 126 females) with a mean age of 3.4 1.1 years. Delay in language was noted among 98 (34.0) children. Children with more than 2 hours/day screen time had an appreciably large percentage of language delay (p < 0.001). Exposure to excessive screen time in children had a higher likelihood of showing delayed speech than those who had less exposure of 1-3 hours/day. It was found to have a dose-response relationship and the more the amount of time spent on screens, the more often language delay existed.
Conclusion: Screen time is strongly related to language delay among children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. Reducing screen time and enhancing parent-child engagement can assist in improving language developmental performance in the early childhood period.
