Exposure to Electronic Media: Children Diagnosed With Speech Delay

Abstract

Today’s daily life is overwhelmed with electronic media and excessive technology exposure among young children became an expert users. Early exposure to technology such as television, smart phone, tablet and computer affected the language development among children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that children under two years old should have minimal screen media exposure.

Aim: To investigate the exposure to electronic media among children diagnosed with speech delay.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive design was done on a convenient sample of 100 children with their parents who were attended psychiatric clinic in the Center of Social and Preventive Medicine, Cairo University who diagnosed with speech delay. Structured interview questionnaire developed by the researchers, includes four parts: personal characteristics of children and their parents; family electronic devices usage at home; types of electronic media exposure from 0-6 years old and child history of the duration of electronic media exposure from 0-6 years old.

Result: An average duration of electronic media per day exposure was 3.74 hours for children less than 2 years old, 3.81 hours for children from 2 to less than 4 years and 3.41 hours for children from 4 to 6 years who suffered from speech delay, slightly less than two third of children less than 2 years old watched television, slightly more than one quarter of them (28%) used smart phone and increased to 42% of children from 2 to 4 years old, only 3 to 12 % of young children from 0-6 years old viewed tablet and one fifth of young children (2-6 years) viewed computer.  

Conclusion: Average duration of electronic media exposure per day for children less than 2 years who suffered from speech delay was 3.74 hours, slightly less than two third of them watched television and slightly more than one quarter of them used smart phone.

Recommendation: Further longitudinal study of early electronic media viewing and language development that follows children from birth to beyond age five.