A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics examined the association between screen time exposure during infancy and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – at 3 years of age.This was a cohort study that analyzed data of 84,030 mother-child dyads from Japan between January 2011 and March 2014. Mothers whose children were diagnosed with ASD at 3 years of age participated in a questionnaire.The findings revealed that prevalence of ASD among children at 3 years of age was 392 per 100,000; that is, 0.4%; boys were three times more likely to have been diagnosed with ASD than girls. Among boys, a screen time exposure of less than 1 hour per day depicted the odds ratio of 1.38. While the odds ratio for 1 hour to less than 2 hours of screen time was 2.16; 2 hours to less than 4 hours was 3.48; and more than 4 hours was 3.02. Whereas, among girls an association between ASD diagnosis and screen time exposure could not be described.It was inferred that longer screen time at 1 year of age was significantly associated with ASD diagnosis at 3 years of age among boys. Hence, it is essential to review the health effects of screen time exposure on infants and to control excessive device usage among infants and children.Source: JAMA Pediatrics. 2022 Apr 1;176(4):384-391. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5778.