Early Screen Exposure in Children Under Five with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Prevalence, Patterns, and Clinical Correlates from an Indian Child Development Centre

Objectives:  
1) To determine the prevalence of screen use in children 6 months to 5 years with 
neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). 
2) To identify patterns of screen use and factors associated with screentime in the 
same population.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a multidisciplinary 
clinic for children with special needs between February to June 2021 at a tertiary 
care hospital. 50 participants, 6 months to 5 years with NDD were recruited. A 
semi structured parent questionnaire was administered and a developmental 
assessment was done for each child. 
Results: All 50 participants (100%) were exposed to screen media, with a mean 
screen time of 116 minutes/day (95% CI: 85.2–147.4). Excessive screen time was 
observed in 72% of the children. Greater screen time was associated with more 
severe delays in the communication and emotional domains. Parents’ perception 
of the value of screen media was an important contributor to children’s screen use, 
while co-viewing was associated with lower screen time.
Conclusions: Excessive screen use is widespread in young children with 
neurodevelopmental disorders, underscoring the need for routine media-use 
screening during developmental consultations. Parent counselling on mindful 
media use, high-quality content, and co-viewing should be considered an integral 
component of early intervention services.