It’s no secret that screens are a big part of modern life – from laptops and TV screens to smartphones and iPads. At the same time, studies indicate risks associated with too much exposure to screens, especially for children.
Results of one study published this month in the PLOS journal indicated that “negative and significant associations were generally found between screen time and language skills, which were in turn positively associated with shared reading times.”
This study included a sample of 1,878 toddlers from 12 months to 48 months old who live in 19 different Latin American countries and it comes as new data shows reading scores are down in the U.S. Parents reported their children’s use of screens as well as developmental milestones. Researchers noted that child screen use is “ubiquitous,” and that it increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the results indicated that infants’ screen exposure times were longer than recommended. TV and smartphone were the most frequently used screen media.
In the U.S., the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends no screen time for children under 18 months, unless it is video calls with family and friends. For children 18 to 24 months, screen time is only recommended with parental engagement and no more than two hours per day is recommended until the pre-teen years. Recent data shows that pre-teens aged 8 to 12 spend more than five hours per day on devices including TVs and smartphones.
Authors of the recent study said that: “In terms of relations between screen use and language development, TV use showed the most negative relations to language development, while Tablet, cell phone, and PC had mixed results.”
In a world filled with screens, warnings about negative impacts and recommendations for use might leave parents stressed. Dr. Michelle Yang, a resident at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, explained that, “quality versus quantity is what matters,” when it comes to screen use.
“The studies overall have shown that there is definite improvement of learning when there’s a physical presence of adults in the room,” Dr. Yang said. “And that, of course, is very much what we would expect.”
Yang also noted that studies show that language delay risks were worse for children who screen began time before 12 months of age. She said that children developing motor skills show signs of something called “video deficit effect” or a delay in learning to mimic actions. According to CHOC, research shows it can take twice as long for children to learn or mimic actions presented in video rather than in person.
However, Yang also noted that screen time can have benefits for children once they hit a certain age. At around 17 months, spending time looking over screen-based education content with a parent might actually help with language development. This observation was backed up by the study published this month.
“The frequency of shared screen use with adults demonstrated positive correlations with language skills, after controlling for sociodemographic variables,” said the researchers. They also determined that results of their study highlighted the idea that passive consumption, such as watching TV, has a more negative impact than use of screens while engaged with an adult.
“Furthermore, when TV is on in the background, it could hinder the communication channels between adults and children, decreasing the chances of generating meaningful interactions,” the study authors said. However, according to CHOC, programs specifically designed to teach could have a positive impact, even when no adults are present.
Dr. Yang said limiting screen time is just one part of making sure children develop language skills. Program choice and caretaker participation is also important.
Authors of the recent study had a similar message: “This work shows that it is important to continue studying the impact of screen devices on child development, from early stages of life; and the role of the primary caregiver to scaffold their use and promote the consumption of age-appropriate content,” they said.