How Screens Impact Young Children

Our screens are ever present, and as we click, sweep and scroll through
our lives, our kids are becoming tech-savvy earlier and earlier.
With so many games and apps available, it’s easy to put screens into
little hands. Yet, experts say there are good reasons to hold off.
Diana Shepherd, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Child
Development at California State University, Chico. She says that for
children under the age of 5, there are few (if any) benefits from using
screens – and potentially many harmful consequences. “Infants and
toddlers cannot learn from traditional digital media as they can and do
from interactions with caregivers,” explains Shepherd.

How they learn.

Young children are wired to learn about the world using their senses.
Thomas Kaut is the administrator of a Montessori school which serves
children ages 2 through 12. “Children are active learners,” Kaut says.
“Viewing a screen does not provide the same learning opportunity as
active exploration with their hands. You can always do better with
blocks, sand and water.”

When a child builds a tower with wooden blocks, she gains skills in all
areas of development. She learns about shape, size, texture, weight and
spatial concepts as she picks up and places each piece. She counts and
sorts her blocks. She repeatedly squats and stands, describes her
structure and negotiates with peers. In contrast, the click-and-drag
virtual tower offers few of these learning opportunities.

Kaut worries that the more time young children spend with screens, the
less time they’re engaged in real-life activities that support
cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. They aren’t
moving their bodies, playing outside and interacting with adults and
other children. Problems such as language delay, obesity and sleep
disturbance have been linked to increased screen time and early
exposure to screens.

They’re watching us. Are we watching them?

Young children need loving caregivers with whom to sing, read, play and
cuddle. “The parent is the child’s first and most important teacher,”
says Tami Winternitz, director of a preparation program for early
childhood education (ECE) teachers. This means children also depend on
parents to be good models. “How adults monitor their own screen time in
the presence of children often translates into how present they are with the children,” Winternitz says.

Interruptions caused by our devices can negatively impact parent-child
interactions. Dr. Shepherd says that when the television is on, even in
the background, parents spend less time talking to and playing with
their infants. “Positive engagement is reduced when parents are
distracted by their devices, diverting their attention to a text or
media message alert, snapping photos or watching television,” Shepherd
says. What’s more, research indicates that when parents allow these
technology-based interruptions, children often respond with negative
attention-seeking behavior such as whining, crying, clinging or “acting
out.”

Be mindful of content.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under
18 months avoid screen exposure except for video chatting. For children
up to five years, screen time should be limited to one hour per day of
high-quality programming viewed with an adult. “Letting children use
media by themselves should be avoided,” says Shepherd, explaining that
adults need to help children interpret what they are seeing and apply
it to the real world.

In addition, parents must choose content carefully. On-screen violence
can lead to increased aggression, particularly among boys. And young
children whose media diet includes lots of fast-paced programming with
multiple screen shifts (think “Sponge Bob Squarepants”) are at greater
risk for attentional difficulties. “Parents must ask themselves,” says
Shepherd, “What do I want my children to experience and learn from
media, and how will this shape their thoughts, perceptions, emotions
and behaviors?”

Digital books should be previewed, too. Research has shown that
distracting elements such as sounds, lights and animation may decrease
a child’s ability to follow the plot. But comprehension increases when
an e-book is viewed with an adult and includes features such as word
highlighting and repeatable text.

It’s helpful to note that there’s no harm in not exposing a
young child to screens. Parents are often misled when toys and apps are
marketed as “educational.” They want to provide every advantage, and
many parents worry their children will be left behind without access to
the latest technology. However, most research indicates young children
do not benefit from using these products, and experts agree that kids
learn best when they read books and do other hands-on activities with
their caregivers.

Setting boundaries.

Though it’s tempting to hand a tablet or phone to a fussy, bored child,
this should be avoided. “Using a screen as a babysitter or distracter
may make the situation easier on the adult for that moment,” says
Winternitz. “However, a screen will not likely provide what the child
actually needs – food, rest, comfort, calm, support or social
interaction.”

Shepherd also cautions parents against using a screen as the go-to for
calming a child; this can lead to problems with a child’s ability to
self-regulate. As a busy mom to six children, she knows it’s not always
easy. “But the patterns we establish early guide their behaviors as
they grow up,” Shepherd says. “When they are young, that’s the time to
invest in their future by making these choices and by making time to
engage with them.”