Screen time exposure in children aged 24–60 months with delayed speech: A case-control study

Aim: This study compared screen exposure patterns between children aged 24–60 months with speech delay receiving rehabilitation services and their typically developing peers, with particular attention to parent–child interaction and sociodemographic characteristics.

Materials and Methods: This case–control study included 22 children with speech delay and 26 typically developing children. Parent-report questionnaires were used to collect data on daily screen time, age at first screen exposure, screen device type, parental education, socioeconomic status, maternal employment, number of siblings, and daily parent–child interaction time. Data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, independent samples t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square test, and Spearman correlation analysis.

Results: Children with speech delay had significantly longer daily screen time than controls (177.27 ± 53.91 vs. 116.54 ± 43.54 minutes; p < .001) and were exposed to screens at a significantly younger age (7.00 ± 2.45 vs. 15.15 ± 3.87 months; p < .001). Daily screen time was moderately and negatively correlated with age at first screen exposure (ρ = -0.356, p = .013). No significant between-group differences were found in parental education, socioeconomic status, maternal employment, number of siblings, screen type, or sex distribution. However, daily parent–child interaction time was significantly longer in the control group (128.7 ± 41.2 vs. 92.5 ± 35.4 minutes; p = .004).

Conclusion: Children with speech delay are exposed to screens earlier and for longer durations than their typically developing peers. Reduced parent–child interaction may represent an additional pathway through which excessive screen exposure influences language development, underscoring the importance of early interventions targeting both screen use and parent–child interaction.