Applied Psychology

Applied Psychology

Assessment of Developmental Indicators in Children Aged 24 to 38 Months in Relation to Screen Exposure: A Cross Sectional Study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Seyed Saeid Sajjadi Anari 1
Masoome Zabeti Arani 2
Maryam Akbari Saryazdi 3
Soraya Alavinezhad 4
Morteza Valaei 5
1 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of psychology and education of exceptional children
3 Clinical family psychology-family institute -University of Shahid Beheshti- Tehran/Iran
4 Department of psychology and education of exceptional children - faculty of psychology and educational sciences-University of Tehran-Tehran/Iran
5 University of Alamme Tabatabaei - Tehran/Iran
10.48308/apsy.2026.243245.1966
Abstract
Aim: This study investigated developmental indicators among children aged 24–38 months who were regularly exposed to screen media.

Method: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study population included children aged 24–38 months attending two counseling centers in Tehran in 2024 who were exposed to screen media for more than one hour daily. Using simple random sampling, 134 children were selected. Data were collected using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire–Third Edition (ASQ-3), the Screen Media Questionnaire, parent interviews, and direct specialist observation. One-sample t-tests were used for the 27- and 36-month groups, and the Wilcoxon one-sample test was applied for the 33-month group. Analyses were conducted using SPSS-27.

Results: Children demonstrated significantly lower scores than developmental cutoff points across all developmental domains (p < 0.001). The largest developmental decline was observed in the problem-solving domain, whereas the smallest decline occurred in fine motor skills.

Conclusion: Daily screen exposure exceeding one hour was associated with reduced developmental performance across multiple domains in early childhood. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring and regulating screen use during early developmental periods to support healthier developmental outcomes.
Keywords
ASQ3TM
Developmental Indicators
Problem Solving
Screen Exposure
Toddlers
Subjects
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