All in excess is harmful. The complex is to determine where the line that marks excessive use is. As regards screens (read smartphones and tablets) for a long time that experts agree that their use is not good. And for different reasons. Now, a team of scientists from 20 countries has discovered that young children who They exceed the recommended screen time limits face a specific consequence: lower language development.
The conclusions, published in Plosone, indicate that greater exposure to the screen was associated with lower scores in language development, while exposure to books and shared time in front of the screen with adults were linked to better linguistic skills.
The use of screens by children has increased, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic, which has raised concerns about its impact on cognitive development and early motor. Previous studies indicate negative associations between screen time and early acquisition of language, socio -emotional development and self -regulation skills. Pediatric associations recommend not to use screens in children under two years of age and advocate limited and supervised use for older children.
In the new study, conducted in 19 countries, the authors analyzed data from 1,878 young children between 1 and 4 years in Latin America between August 2021 and March 2023.
Participants were evaluated through surveys informed by parents about The use of screens, interaction with shared media, exposure to books, linguistic skills and development milestones. The socioeconomic level was determined based on access to basic needs, the education of fathers and mothers and their profession.
The results showed that television (even when they are not watching it, but it is in the background) were the most used means, with an average daily exhibition of more than one hour. The entertainment content was the most consumed, followed by music and educational programming. Exposure to screens varied minimally depending on the socioeconomic level and nationality, but Families with fewer resources reported lower use of books and less educational resources.
Negative associations were also found between the time in front of the screen and the development of language, in particular for background and general television visualization. Greater exposure to screens correlated with a lower lexical density and a subsequent achievement of linguistic milestones. On the contrary, exposure to books and shared interaction with adults in front of screens were positively linked to linguistic skills. The relationship between the use of screens and motor development was not significant.
The findings support previous research that indicates that excessive use of screens negatively affects the early development of language. Shared interaction with adults and appropriate content types can mitigate some of these effects. Since the use of screens is about to increase and become more complex, researchers suggest that future experimental designs control the variables and isolate their impact.