Children's sensorimotor development in relation to screen-media usage: A two-year longitudinal study

Abstract

During typical childhood interactions with screen-media, input is dominated by visual signals, with a likely reduction in haptic, proprioceptive, and fine motor domains. We present the first study to investigate sensorimotor skills in a detailed manner, using a two-year longitudinal design on a sample of 117 preschool children. We measured screen-time and sensorimotor development in a differentiated manner, including measures of fine motor skills (FMS), haptic, proprioceptive, visual-haptic integration, and visual-shape discrimination. Further, we accounted for vocabulary, working memory and the purpose of media use (learning vs. entertainment; active vs. passive) via a parent-report questionnaire and a novel child-administered Media-Titles Test. Results indicated that, generally, media usage was associated with worse haptic and FMS, but better visual-shape discrimination. Visual-haptic integration and proprioception were not predicted by screen-media. Findings are discussed in terms of the differential effects of screen-media on sensorimotor skill.