It’s probably of little surprise that exposure to digital media can affect emotional processing. However, new research reveals that it may also shape how children’s senses develop.
A new study links heavy media use starting as young as a year old with atypical sensory processing down the road. That means that how kids take in stimuli through their sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch can lead to deficits or hypersensitivities.
What Is Sensory Processing?
Sensory processing allows seamless communication between brain and body. Our senses take in information—the colors of a flag, the feel of a blanket, the taste of chocolate—and shuttle it to the brain for interpretation and action, if necessary.
When this input-computing pipeline malfunctions, sensory reactions become unusual. Children may wind up hypersensitive or hyposensitive to various stimuli. Those with hypersensitivities might be overwhelmed by sensations that most tune out, such as blinking lights or clothing tags. Conversely, hyposensitive kids crave sensory input, always touching, spinning, or seeking thrills. They have high thresholds, barely registering signals such as injuries and having slow responses to pain or discomfort.
Although some sensory differences are typical in childhood, they appear to be most prevalent in certain neurodevelopmental disorders. About 60 percent of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and 70–95 percent of those with autism spectrum disorder display atypical sensory behaviors.
The new findings, published in January in JAMA Pediatrics, add atypical sensory processing to the list of problems already linked to too much screen time, including delayed language development, slow thinking skills, and disrupted behavior and sleep.
Effect of Screen Time on Sensory Processing in Toddlers
To determine whether early TV and video exposure leads to atypical sensory processing, the research team analyzed data from 1,471 children in the National Institutes of Health’s Children’s Study. The children were born between 2011 and 2014, and equal numbers of males and females were included.
Parents rated their children’s sensory behaviors on a 5-point scale at about 30 months old, judging how frequently kids exhibited reactions such as noise-making or escape from loud environments, from almost always (1) to almost never (5). The team compared these ratings with screen exposure data collected when children were 12, 18, and 24 months old.
The results linked early and frequent media use with sensation avoidance, sensation seeking, and sensory sensitivity by age 1. For example, increased screen time correlated with avoiding loud spaces or constantly seeking visual stimulation. High media consumption was also associated with decreased likelihood of underreacting to stimuli.
Although early and frequent exposure was associated with atypical sensory processing, the researchers could not definitively prove causality between media use and sensory abnormalities.
They hypothesize that high early screen exposure may trigger brain changes similarly seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These include overgrown sensory processing areas, heightened responses to stimuli, and wiring that impedes higher cognition.
“To the extent that high screen time may increase risk for ASD symptoms, the current findings raise the possibility that screen time may do so by impacting sensory development,” the authors wrote.
What Can Help?
On a positive note, replacing screen time with social activities appeared to mitigate sensory development issues, according to the authors.
Previous studies have found that substituting screen time with social interaction can lessen autism spectrum disorder symptoms. For example, research shows that engaging more with others improves communication and behavior in children.
The study noted that children had developmental advancements when reducing screen time, but they started regressing if they eventually returned to the prior high levels of exposure.