Less social motivation in young children with excessive screen time

Background: Excessive screen time in early childhood can have negative effects on healthy development. The aim of the present study is to explore the potential association between excessive screen time and social motivation in a cohort of young children in Iran. Methods: Healthy children aged 1.5 to 4.5 years, along with their parents, participated in this causal-comparative study. Participants were categorized based on daily screen time, classified as either low (less than 2 hours per day) or excessive (6 hours or more per day). The duration of screen exposure was measured using the Screen Media Exposure Checklist, derived from the SCREENS-Q questionnaire. Social motivation was evaluated through a computerized social motivation task.Results: Based on data from 133 child-parent pairs, we found that children who spent excessive time watching screens scored lower on social motivation (p < 0.001), demonstrating the negative association between increased screen exposure and poorer social-cognitive development. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between children’s age and the amount of screen time (p < 0.05), indicating that older children spent more time on screens. Television and smartphones were identified as the most frequently used screen devices among Iranian children in this age group. However, no significant relationship was found between gender and either the amount or type of screen content consumed during this developmental stage (p = 0.77). Conclusion: Excessive screen time is associated with significant impairments in social motivation during early childhood. The findings indicate that screen time gradually increases with age. Television and smartphones were identified as the most appealing digital devices among the children in our study. Notably, no significant differences in screen time were observed between boys and girls aged 1.5 to 4.5 years. These results suggest that excessive screen time in early childhood adversely affects the development of social motivation, irrespective of gender.