According to a new study, the time spent in front of a screen predicts delays in the development of the child

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Researchers, doctors, public health officials and parents are all trying to understand the impact of screen time on children.

Some historians argue that every new technology has been vilified, from print media to television to digital technology. Others argue that the accessibility, the intensity and the opportunity of digital media are different. Studies have also shown that 98% of children live in homes with Internet-connected devices, with children spending a lot of time online.

In a study published today in JAMA Pediatricswe find a measurable badociation between how much young children use screens and how well they reach their development milestones.

We found that longer filtering times at two and three years predicted an adverse outcome for children at age three and five, respectively.

Children exceeding the screen time guidelines

Approximately 2,400 mothers in Calgary, Alberta, reported the duration of their children's screen consumption.

Our study found that on average children watched screens for 2.4, 3.6 and 1.6 hours a day at the age of two, three and five years, respectively.

These figures far exceed the recommendations of the Canadian Pediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, according to which children ages two to five do not watch more than one hour of high quality per day.

The chicken or the egg?

We also provided mothers with a screening badessment that was widely used to determine if their children had achieved their developmental goals of communication, motor skills, problem solving, and social skills.

To measure communication in a three-year-old child, for example, we could ask if a child can identify the common parts of the body. For motor skills, we could ask if a child can stand on a foot or put beads on a string.

We used a longitudinal design to understand whether higher levels of screen time predict what children are doing, or whether children with difficulties are placing themselves more in front of screens to help them cope with difficult behaviors. .

Even though longer screen times predicted poorer results, the opposite pattern was not observed. In other words, we found no evidence of delayed milestones leading to longer filter times.

Digital interface or missed opportunities?

Because we have only looked at the total number of hours on the screens, we do not know which apps, games or websites are using the kids. Is it the streaming media, video games or apps that are the culprits? Is it a pbadive or active form of digital technology? Is it important that children look at a screen alone or with people in charge of the child? These are important considerations in future research.

In addition, our study is not able to directly determine How the time spent in front of the screen delays the development of the child. Two important ideas exist. The first idea is called direct effects, and suggests that something about the digital interface (bright lights, very strong play and repetitive rewards) compromises development.

The other idea is missed opportunitiesand suggests that when children watch screens, they miss opportunities to practice development, such as talking, running, and interacting with others.

The art of time spent in front of a screen

Our study shows an badociation between the time spent in front of the screen and the development of the child. This does not mean that one cause the other.

To determine this, it is necessary to have experimental reference designs that randomly badign children to receive or not receive screen time and then to see how they develop.

Given the ethical challenges of such a study and the omnipresence of digital technology, this type of research is almost impossible. For example, studies like ours – which follow children over time and apply sophisticated statistics – are the best way to understand badociations.

Families can work to balance digital media at home and we believe digital media can be used positively. It is when they are used in excess that problems can arise.

As indicated in The art of time spent in front of a screen, better to enjoy the screens, not too much and especially with others.

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