High levels of screen time were associated with increased probabilities of lagged development in 3-year-old children.

Aim: This study determined whether higher screen time was associated with the development of 3-year-old children in Taiwan. It also examined whether differences would be found between television and other screen-based media in the probability of lagged development.

Methods: We examined 2139 children aged 3 years and their parents. The association between daily screen time was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. All the odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using the rates of lagged developmental achievement, with the group who used screens for less than 1 h a day as the reference category. Screen time comprised television and other screen-based media, such as smartphones, touch screens, computers and laptops.

Results: Children who used screens for more than 3 h per day had the lowest developmental scores and highest probabilities of lagged development. The children who used other screen-based media for more than 1 h per day had greater probabilities of lagged developmental achievements (ORs 1.85-4.98, all p < 0.05) than those who watched television for the same amount of time (OR 1.41-2.77, all p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Increased screen time was associated with higher probabilities of lagged developmental achievement in multiple development domains in 3-year-old children, particularly other screen-based media.