Tablet Use Affects Preschoolers’ Executive Function: fNIRS Evidence from the Dimensional Change Card Sort Task

Hui Li,Sha Xie,Chunqi Chang,Dandan Wu,Jiutong Luo,Jinfeng Yang

doi:10.3390/brainsci11050567

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of heavy use of tablets on preschoolers’ executive function during the Dimensional Change Card Sort (DCCS) task using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Altogether, 38 Chinese preschoolers (Mage = 5.0 years, SD = 0.69 years, 17 girls) completed the tasks before the COVID-19 lockdown. Eight children never used tablets, while 16 children were diagnosed as the ‘heavy-user’. The results indicated that: (1) the ‘non-user’ outperformed the ‘heavy-user’ with a significantly higher correct rate in the DCCS task; (2) the two groups differed significantly in the activation of the prefrontal cortex (BA 9): the ‘non-user’ pattern is normal and healthy, whereas the ‘heavy-user’ pattern is not normal and needs further exploration.

Highlights

Advancing information and communication technologies (ICT) have nurtured a brand-new generation of ‘digital children’ in this ‘digital age’
Infants and young children are exposed to more technologies than before as they have more devices and apps readily available for their use, resulting in increased screen time and tablet use [1]
This phenomenon has worried public health organizations, parents, and scholars who are seriously concerned about the benefits and damages of tablet use in the early years [2]

Summary

Introduction

Advancing information and communication technologies (ICT) have nurtured a brand-new generation of ‘digital children’ in this ‘digital age’. Infants and young children are exposed to more technologies than before as they have more devices and apps readily available for their use, resulting in increased screen time and tablet use [1] This phenomenon has worried public health organizations, parents, and scholars who are seriously concerned about the benefits and damages of tablet use in the early years (ages 0–5) [2]. Many studies have examined the impact of tablet use on young children’s brain development, but the results are still mixed [3] These inconclusive results have created difficulties in making policies for early ICT use and education and have caused heated debates between the advocates and dissenters of the ‘digital child’ and tablet use [4]. To fill this research gap, this article explored the impact of heavy use of tablets on young children’s executive function in the prefrontal cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)

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