It may be an easy fix to supply a screaming toddler with an iPad. But new research shows the extent to which too much screen time can be harmful for infant development.
Randi Mozenter is a clinical psychologist at Washington University and Barnes Jewish Hospital. She tells KMOX’s “The Show” what exactly it is about screens that can be so harmful to young children and infants. She said that one study out of Boston followed 400 kids and looked at their executive functioning abilities.
“Executive functioning, which is higher level, brain development, cognitive functioning, how you do in school, all of those kinds of things,” Mozenter said. "And the study found evidence that screen time in infancy can lead to behavioral problems later on in childhood.”
She explained that in the study, every hour of increased screen time in infancy was associated with decreased measures of attention and executive functioning by age nine. And, she said, the kids’ brain activity was different and associated with difficulties even in infancy.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under eight months of age get zero screen time — and that screen time should be limited to no more than one hour a day for kids aged two to five,” she said.
She added that it doesn’t matter what’s being shown on screens — just the mere fact that kids are looking at screens can be harmful to their development.
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“It’s everything. From the images, to the lighting, to all of those things,” she said. “But they’re not talking about content. They’re talking about the actual physiological impact on the developing brain.”
Other research, Mozenter said, shows that screens are also negatively affecting kids’ social skills, as well as coping skills and stress management, because they’re plugged into screens all the time. And the age at which kids become familiar with smartphones is concerning to her.
“Toddlers know how to use a smartphone. Toddlers know how to watch a video and all kinds of other things,” she said. “I'm sure we've seen two and three year olds with a parent's phone doing that. And, you know, it's suggested for short periods of time, it's fine, but not for prolonged periods of time.”
Hear more about the effects on screen time for children and infants from Randi Mozenter:
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