Screen Time and Executive Function in Toddlerhood: A Longitudinal Study.

Claire Hughes,Gabrielle McHarg,Rory T. Devine,Andrew D. Ribner

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570392

Abstract

Technology is pervasive in homes with young children. Emerging evidence that electronic screen-based media use has adverse effects on executive functions may help explain negative relations between media use and early academic skills. However, longitudinal investigations are needed to test this idea. In a sample of 193 British toddlers tracked from age 2 to 3 years, we test concurrent and predictive relations between screen use and children’s executive function. We find no concurrent association between screen use and executive function; however, screen time at age 2 is negatively associated with the development of executive functions in toddlerhood from age 2 to 3, controlling for a range of covariates including verbal ability. Implications for parenting, education, and pediatric recommendations are discussed.

Highlights

Parents around the globe have, since the advent of the television, been questioning the effects of screens on children’s development – leading to a “moral panic” surrounding children’s electronic screen-time (Drotner, 2013)
Most children engaged in screen time at both 24- and 36-month time points, and screen time increased as children got older
The current study found that, controlling for receptive vocabulary, gender, age, and prior Executive functions (EF), there was a linear relation between screen time at 24 months and EF 1 year later, such that increased screen time was associated with worse EF

Summary

Introduction

Parents around the globe have, since the advent of the television, been questioning the effects of screens on children’s development – leading to a “moral panic” surrounding children’s electronic screen-time (Drotner, 2013). Increased screen time is associated with increased sedentary behavior and obesity (e.g., Robinson et al, 2017); and television has been negatively correlated with both parental engagement (e.g., Mendelsohn et al, 2008; Christakis et al, 2009; Kirkorian et al, 2009) and children’s language and literacy skills (Ribner et al, 2020). Each of these associations is important for parents and clinicians to consider when addressing questions about the potential risks of screen time. Addressing this gap, the current study investigates variation in children’s executive functions at 36-months of age in relation to ratings of screen use gathered both concurrently and 12-months earlier (i.e., at 24-months)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion