While digital media may be useful for connecting with relatives and educational purposes, studies indicate that watching television is linked to delayed language development in young children. Due to the potential for digital media to impact child development, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting media- apart from video chat- for children under 5 years old.
"In those first couple years of life, language is one of the core components of development that we know media can impact," study author Sarah Kucker Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in South Methodist University's Dedman College of Humanities & Sciences, said in a press release.
"There's less research focused on toddlers using digital media than older ages, which is why we're trying to understand better how digital media affects this age group and what type of screen time is beneficial and what is not," she added.
In the current study, researchers investigated the effects of digital media exposure on children aged 17- 30 months. To do so, they recruited 302 caregivers of young children who answered questions about their child's words, sentences, and how much time they spent on different media activities each day- including video/ TV, video games, video chat, and e-books, alongside an explanation of why each activity was used.
Ultimately, the researchers found that exposure to videos- but not other media- for calming or babysitting purposes was linked to sentences and phrases with fewer words. The negative impact of videos on vocabulary persisted regardless of reason for use, however videos used for education or connecting may have mitigated negative effects on expressive language.
Dr. Kucker suggested that caregivers consider the kinds of videos their children watch, including whether they are for learning or fun, and how they interact with toddlers when watching videos. She recommended caregivers consider how much digital media they will allow young children and whether they can interact with them while using it.
"Children under 36 months are using digital media at high rates. What they are doing and why they use media is critical to predict the effect it might have on language development. Further research and anticipatory guidance on the consequences of videos are needed," concluded the researchers in their paper.
Sources: Science Daily, Acta Paediatrica
