Associations between digital media use and brain surface structural measures in preschool-aged children

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limits on digital media use (“screen time”), citing cognitive-behavioral risks. Media use in early childhood is ubiquitous, though few imaging-based studies have been conducted to quantify impacts on brain development. Cortical morphology changes dynamically from infancy through adulthood and is associated with cognitive-behavioral abilities. The current study involved 52 children who completed MRI and cognitive testing at a single visit. The MRI protocol included a high-resolution T1-weighted anatomical scan. The child’s parent completed the ScreenQ composite measure of media use. MRI measures included cortical thickness (CT) and sulcal depth (SD) across the cerebrum. ScreenQ was applied as a predictor of CT and SD first in whole-brain regression analyses and then for regions of interest (ROIs) identified in a prior study of screen time involving adolescents, controlling for sex, age and maternal education. Higher ScreenQ scores were correlated with lower CT in right-lateralized occipital, parietal, temporal and fusiform areas, and also lower SD in right-lateralized inferior temporal/fusiform areas, with substantially greater statistical significance in ROI-based analyses. These areas support primary visual and higher-order processing and align with prior findings in adolescents. While differences in visual areas likely reflect maturation, those in higher-order areas may suggest under-development, though further studies are needed.

Digital Media and Developing Brains: Concerns and Opportunities

“…Suggested mechanisms included displaced nurturing experiences such as parent–child (“shared”) reading which has been associated with higher microstructural integrity in tracts supporting language and literacy and higher skills in these domains [ 14 ]. In preschool-age children, higher media use has been associated with thinner cortical gray matter and shallower sulcal depth in areas involved in visual processing, social cognition, attention, and emergent literacy skills [ 15 ], consistent with findings in 10-year-old children [ 16 •].…”

The causal effect of screen uses versus reading on the brain development in early adolescents

“…Previous studies have consistently demonstrated the association between screen time and alterations in brain structure 20,21,38,39 , but there was no evidence of whether these relationships are causal. We found a similar negative effect of screen use on brain volume to the previous research 20 .…”

Executive dysfunction as a possible mediator for the association between excessive screen time and problematic behaviors in preschoolers

“…Additionally, a prior study demonstrated a link between excessive screen time and ADHD through altered white matter connectivity [ 63 ]. These brain alterations were possibly associated with EF deficits, as explained by the prior study that the increased usage of screen-based media links to the microstructural changes of both grey matter (decreased in cortical thickness and sulcal depth) and white matter (lower integrity) in brain regions supporting multiple skills, including executive functioning [ 64 , 65 ]. Furthermore, a previous study has shown that the cortical electroencephalogram activity in the frontal and parietal regions mediated the link between screen exposure in infancy and later worse EF outcomes in school ages [ 25 ].…”