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Screen time and autism like behavior: Cross-sectional study from Georgia
Konstantine Chakhunashvili1, Davit G Chakhunashvili2, Chidhambara Krishna Muthuvelayutham Sangaranachiar3
1Caucasus University, Caucasus Medicine School, Associate Professor, Tbilisi, Georgia. D. Abuladze Georgian-Italian Clinic, Pediatrician, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Preventive Medicine Reports
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Early screen time exposure in toddlers is linked to higher autism screening scores. Limiting screen duration and starting exposure later may reduce autism risk indicators.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurodevelopment
- Environmental influences on child development
Background:
- Early childhood is a critical period for neurodevelopment, with environmental factors impacting cognitive, language, and social outcomes.
- Screen media use is widespread in infants and toddlers, but its link to autism screening results is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between screen media exposure timing and duration and autism screening outcomes in young children.
- To examine how screen time influences scores on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional observational study involved 16-30-month-old children.
- Parent-reported surveys and the M-CHAT-R/F were used to collect data on screen exposure and autism screening.
- Data were gathered between April 2025 and January 2026 via in-clinic and online methods.
Main Results:
- Increased average daily screen time was significantly associated with higher M-CHAT-R/F scores.
- Screen exposure before 12 months old correlated with a higher likelihood of moderate-to-high autism risk classifications.
- Earlier screen exposure and longer duration were significant positive predictors of M-CHAT-R/F scores in multivariate analyses.
Conclusions:
- Both the timing and duration of screen exposure are linked to increased autism screening risk.
- Findings support recommendations against screen exposure in infancy, despite small to moderate effect sizes and the inability to infer causality.
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