Young autistic children watch far more TV than neurotypical peers

A study by researchers in Tunisia indicates that young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) spend significantly more time watching television than neurotypical children do.

Takoua Brahim and colleagues collected data on the television exposure of 150 children with ASD and 150 neurotypical children. All of the children were between one and four years of age.

The researchers report that children with ASD typically started watching television at around four months of age, compared to 14 months for neurotypical children. They also watched far more television; for instance, the researchers say, during the first year of life, children with ASD averaged more than seven hours of television exposure per day, compared to less than one hour per day for neurotypical children.

“Children with ASD predominantly viewed television alone,” they say, “showing preference for repetitive content such as music videos, with viewing occurring throughout the day.” They add that the children “rarely sought adult attention or interaction during viewing and frequently exhibited temper tantrums when parents attempted to turn off the television or change channels.” In contrast, neurotypical children tended to watch television with their families, and showed the most interest in animated cartoons and programs intended for general family viewing.

The researchers say more studies are needed to tease out the associations between increased TV viewing and ASD. For example, they say, factors influencing the television viewing of children with ASD may include social and communication deficits, restricted interests, a need for sameness, and behavioral issues that lead parents to use television as a calming device. They express concerns that hours of solitary television viewing may create a “vicious circle” that reinforces social and communication problems, but add, “[O]ur methodology could indicate correlations between ASD and exposure to screens, but provides no evidence regarding any causality or impact on the prognosis.”

Citations

“Patterns of early exposure to screens by children with ASD,” Takoua Brahim, Naoufel Gaddour, Hela Ben Abid, Sarra Bouslah, and Asma Guedria, Discover Mental Health, December 30, 2025 (free online). Address: Naoufel Gaddour, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia, [email protected].