Behavioural and cognitive correlates of smartphone overdependence in preschoolers with and without developmental disabilities

Objectives

The widespread adoption of smartphones has led to increasingly early exposure among children, and preschool children may be particularly vulnerable to smartphone overdependence due to limited self-regulatory capacity and heightened sensitivity to environmental stimulation. Recent studies have suggested that individuals with developmental disabilities (DD), including autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and language disorder, are at increased risk for problematic smartphone or internet use. However, most prior studies have focused on adolescents or school-aged children, and direct comparative studies between preschool children with DD and those with typical development (TD) remain limited. This study examined the associations between smartphone overdependence and behavioral and cognitive characteristics in preschool children with DD and TD.

Methods

A total of 196 preschool children (71 females, 125 males; age range 34–77 months) were recruited from daycare centers, kindergartens, and special education centers, including 79 children with DD and 117 children with TD. Based on the Smartphone Overdependence Children Observer Scale (SOCOS), participants were classified into four groups: DD-risky (n = 19), DD-general (n = 60), TD-risky (n = 13), and TD-general (n = 104). Clinical measures included the Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R), Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II (VABS-II), Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC), ADHD Rating Scale (ARS), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), Parenting Stress Index-Fourth Edition (PSI-4), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R). Correlation and logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate variables associated with smartphone overdependence.

Results

A greater proportion of children with DD were classified as being at risk for smartphone overdependence compared with TD children. Within the DD group, children in the DD-risky group exhibited significantly higher Attention Problems and Aggressive Behaviors subscale scores of the CBCL, as well as higher Inattention and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscale scores of the ARS, compared with the DD-general group. In contrast, among TD children, no significant differences were observed between the risky and general groups across behavioral, cognitive, or parental measures. Logistic regression analyses identified Attention Problems as the most consistent factor associated with smartphone overdependence across groups. In the DD group, higher Attention Problems and Aggressive Behaviors scores were associated with increased odds of smartphone overdependence, whereas lower Emotional Reactivity scores and lower PEP-R developmental quotients were associated with higher odds in the TD group. In correlation analysis, higher SOCOS total scores were associated with greater behavioral and emotional difficulties, poorer adaptive functioning, lower developmental quotients, social deficits, parental stress, and parental depressive symptoms. Across SOCOS subscales, Self-control Failure demonstrated the strongest and most consistent associations with behavioral and clinical measures.

Conclusions

Attention Problems were the most consistent factor associated with smartphone overdependence across groups. However, associated clinical factors differed according to developmental status, with externalizing behaviors more prominent in children with DD and cognitive and developmental vulnerabilities more evident in TD children. These findings suggest that smartphone overdependence may interact with developmental characteristics to produce distinct behavioral and cognitive profiles in early childhood. Developmentally tailored monitoring and intervention strategies are warranted for problematic smartphone use in young children.

References

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