Abstract
Several studies have found a negative impact of media use on the language of children under 5 years. This impact seems to be related to the linguistic input of their parents. However, less is known about the influence of media on language in preteens. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the use of media, the quantity of parental language input, and the linguistic level of preteens. We assessed the language level of 60 bilingual Spanish–Catalan preteens aged 11–12 years with four subtests of the Spanish version of the standardized clinical evaluation of language fundaments (CELF-5-Spanish) as well as media use at home through a multiple-choice questionnaire. Results showed lower language scores in preteens who had access to more media devices, who used them more frequently, and who talked less with their parents. Language scores were also significantly lower in preteens who used media devices to communicate compared to those who used it as a school aid or to learn new things. These results are not influenced by socioeconomic level, sex, chronological age, or family language. The present results highlight the negative impact of media use on the language level of older children, which is also related to the amount of linguistic input received from their parents.
Highlights
Nowadays, children and adolescents use media and technology in almost every area of their lives, such as social life and education contexts, being in contact with technological devices since very early in their development
No significant differences were found between preteens pertaining to the middle socioeconomic status and those falling into the middle–low class in terms of language level (Word classes: U = 398.5, p = 0.48; Formulated sentences: U = 451.5, p = 0.927; Recalling sentences: U = 405.5, p = 0.542; Semantic relations: U = 453.5, p = 0.903)
This study aimed to evaluate the associations between media use and language skills in a sample of preteens aged 11 and 12
Summary
Children and adolescents use media and technology in almost every area of their lives, such as social life and education contexts, being in contact with technological devices since very early in their development. We live in a society in which media is almost omnipresent and, in the case of children, it is part of their learning process, which makes this topic of high scientific interest In this vein, Prensky [1] labels “digital natives” those children and adolescents who are born and grow up with media devices fully available, which they use with a distinctive naturalness in comparison to other generations. Prensky [1] labels “digital natives” those children and adolescents who are born and grow up with media devices fully available, which they use with a distinctive naturalness in comparison to other generations This situation happens to an extent in which even the youngest children and adolescents are exposed to media within their family context. Seven out of ten Spanish children (71%) are exposed to media while eating—watching TV, or even using a tactile screen or a smartphone—as reported in the 5th
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