ArticleScientific reports2022
Associations between digital media use and brain surface structural measures in preschool-aged children.
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Digital media exposure and pediatric health: the recommendations from the Italian Society of Pediatrics Digital Dependency Commission.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2026Guideline
- Screen Time, Nature, and Development: Baseline of the Randomized Controlled Study "Screen-free till 3".Developmental science · 2025Trial
- Not All Screen Use is Equal: Shifting the Focus from Screen Time to Problematic Use in Child and Adolescent Well-Being Research.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2026Review
- Intelligent monitoring-based screen exposure patterns and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preschool children.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Analysis of selected digital risks as a basis for developing digital hygiene strategies. A perspective of vulnerable populations.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Neurobehavioural links from infant screen time to anxiety.EBioMedicine · 2026Article
- Hypothalamic Orexin Projections to the Hippocampal CA1 Region Alleviate Cognitive and Synaptic Plasticity Impairments Induced by Blue Light Exposure.CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2025Article
- Genetic predisposition to digital device use and the risk of five psychiatric disorders.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Screen use in children - two sides of the coin: a critical narrative review.Dementia & neuropsychologia · 2025Review
- Process evaluation of a Germany-wide complex intervention to prevent dysregulated screen time in under threes: a RE-AIM-approach.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2025Article
- Decreased frontal theta frequency during the presence of smartphone among children: an EEG study.Pediatric research · 2024Article
- Causal Relationships Between Screen Use, Reading, and Brain Development in Early Adolescents.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- Digital Media and Developing Brains: Concerns and Opportunities.Current addiction reports · 2024Review
- Article
- Dyadic Interactions, Communication and Regulation Skills: Associations with Screen Use in Toddlers from Buenos Aires.Psychology in Russia : state of the art · 2024Article
- Cure for tantrums? Longitudinal associations between parental digital emotion regulation and children's self-regulatory skills.Frontiers in child and adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- Ground Rules for Preschooler Exposure to the Digital Environment: A Review of Studies.Psychology in Russia : state of the art · 2023Article
- The longitudinal impact of screen media activities on brain function, architecture and mental health in early adolescence.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
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.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.