Researchers at Ohio State University have found that, despite parents’ concerns, screen time does not have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the development of poor preschoolers and their grades in school. Research published in the journal Translation Problems in Psychological Science.
The researchers used data from low-income families collected in 2018-2019. The study included 179 children who would start kindergarten the following year at the start of data collection.
Children spent an average of two hours in front of a screen each day, of which 46% was at night (between 18:00 and 06:00). The analysis showed that time spent in front of television, smartphones and tablets was not associated with the development of children’s language and math skills.
“These results suggest that we need to stop demonizing the use of screen media and find better ways to support families and the education and development of children living in poverty,” the researchers said.
However, preschoolers who used gadgets for more than two hours a day, especially at night, had, on average, slightly worse social and behavioral skills, but this effect was not observed in many children. Overuse of gadgets can harm children because it leaves out more useful things like socializing with peers or adults.
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