Ofc, this is the internet after all

I do hope this had been understood as an IMHO,as usual with there sort of comments.

Interesting conclusion though:

" The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis, including a notable indication for publication bias as well as small and sometimes nonsignificant effect sizes, and the limitations just described suggest that the issue of screen time and ASD is far from being resolved. In fact, the slight superiority (although not statistically significant) of the clinical diagnosis variable over the ASD symptom variable we observed in the meta-regression brings forth the basic obstacle in this field, which relates to the directionality of the association, as discussed at the start of this work. Alongside the displacement hypothesis focused on the potential negative outcomes associated with screens, a large portion of the literature is dedicated to the opposite direction—that is, to the characteristics that draw children with ASD to engage in screen activities.16-18 As concluded in a previous literature review on this topic, children with ASD seem to “show increased interest in screen viewing… [which] begins at a very young age.”18(p308) It is also reasonable to assume that parents of children with clinically diagnosed ASD adopt a relatively permissive position regarding their children’s screen use. It is possible, then, that the observed (bidirectional) association of the current meta-analysis reflects this tendency of children with diagnosed ASD, at least to a certain extent, thus requiring us to continue searching for other explanations for the increasing global rates of ASD. Excessive screen time may indeed come at the expense of positive real-life activities and close familial relationships that could increase ASD risk. However, further research is needed to support this concern, as the increase in ASD prevalence may be attributable to a range of medical, environmental, and societal factors. "

This "Excessive screen time may indeed come at the expense of positive real-life activities and close familial relationships that could increase ASD risk. " still supports my original comment.

Thank you for providing this by the way,but it's still a debatable topic,with no real conclusion other than it needs more research.

I agree. I was grew up playing lots of games like Incredible Machine, Sim City, Zoo Tycoon, Age of Empires 2, etc. They were technical and challenging mentally. Taught me a lot about money management, logistics, testing theories, and solving puzzles.

I also watched a lot of Nat Geo, Discovery and History Channel, (Before it enshitified) read lots of science encyclopedias and books, used the Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia often.

My siblings and our friends also played outside a lot. Built forts, played paintball, explored the woods, that kind of stuff.

The medium matters much less than the content.

Elsagate if I remember correctly? It hasn't gone away