{"id":1621,"date":"2023-10-17T07:22:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T07:22:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/appliedabcstg.wpenginepowered.com\/?p=1621"},"modified":"2025-06-23T11:20:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T15:20:57","slug":"how-screen-time-affects-children-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/appliedabc.com\/es\/how-screen-time-affects-children-with-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"How Screen Time Affects Children With Autism"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Whether it\u2019s playing a mobile game on your phone or typing up a report on your computer at work, technology continues to become a more integral part of our day-to-day lives. According to a July 2023 report<\/a>, people worldwide spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes on the internet.<\/p>\n

Although it may be alarming that we spend a quarter of our day in front of a screen, this is just an average, and the actual number of hours vary from person to person. For children with autism, the long hours in front of the screen time may have effects on their growth and development.<\/p>\n

Effects of Screen Time on Children With ASD<\/h2>\n

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Every child with autism is unique. However, many children with autism have difficulty navigating social interactions and may have trouble making friends<\/a>. The virtual world may give them an outlet for their creativity and give them a safe space to make friends online.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cChildren with ASD have a remarkable attraction to screen viewing<\/a> at a younger age compared to their healthy peers. This<\/p>\n

\u00a0is explained by their nature of having less social leisure and preference for computing activity over social network browsing because it is very demanding for them to be socially engaged.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the many positive effects that technology can have for children with autism, a child that spends a large bulk of their time looking at a screen may become reliant on this technology and struggle during ABA therapy or in real-life settings like school or on a playdate.<\/p>\n

According to a recent study<\/a>, \u201cCompared with neurotypical children, children with ASD interact longer with screens. The longer the screen time, the more severe the symptoms of ASD (especially sensory symptoms), and the more obvious the developmental delay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spending hours in front of a screen may also lead to a decrease in the amount of physical activity, which could lead to other health problems. \u201cAmong children with ASD, we found some evidence of a relationship between barriers to physical activity and participation in physical activity. Barriers to physical activity were positively related to levels of screen time<\/a> behavior in children with ASD.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some other effects that too much screen time could lead to include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n