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How does screen time affect our little ones?

This is an issue that has received widespread media attention. But what is the scientific evidence? And what do the current guidelines advise?

The Debate brings together the latest scientific evidence, including findings from our own TABLET project, with current guidelines for screen use.

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We want to know how families make decisions about screen time. What do you think are the pros and cons? And does greater understanding about the complex question of toddler screen time increase confidence to make decisions that work for your family?

How old is your child/children? (Please select as many as applicable).

Tell us what you think about touchscreen use in children:

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How confident do you feel when making choices about screen time in your family?

What others have said about touchscreen use in children...

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“Screens are good to communicate with friends and family who are far away.”

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“Good for following instructions and learning. However, too often and too long isn't good.”

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“We live in a world of touchscreens, children need to learn to use them just as they learn to eat with a knife and fork.”

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“Toddlers don't have to use touchscreens; it’s parents who give them to the toddlers. Parents need to understand the issues better.”

Tell us what you think about touchscreen use in children?

Guidelines

The scientific studies needed to inform evidence-based guidelines are still in their infancy, especially when it comes to new portable media such as smartphones and tablets. However, several international agencies have decided to issue guidelines to parents as a precaution. The leading agency in this field is the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) who make several concrete suggestions (AAP, 2016; full recommendations here):

  • Time limits:​​

    • –17 months – no screen time (except for video calls)

    • 18 – 24 months – a limited amount of screen time

    • 2 – 5 year olds – one hour a day​ or high quality content

​​

​BUT, the UK’s Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) criticised the American guidelines; they argue that they’re not all based on strong evidence (RCPCH, 2019)​. The only recommendation they feel confident to make is for all children to avoid screens in the hour before bed (further explanation within Sleep section of Evidence below).

The UK’s Chief Medical Officers also suggest a ‘precautionary approach’ balanced against the potential benefits of using screen devices (Davies et al., 2019).

The picture is very muddled and meanwhile parents are making decisions about their child's screen time on a daily basis. To help ease the stress of these decisions there are various 'Resources' available online.

Guidelines

Resources

  • Publications
    Portugal, Anna Maria and Bedford, Rachael and Cheung, Celeste and Mason, Luke and Smith, Tim J. (2021) Longitudinal touchscreen use across early development is associated with faster exogenous and reduced endogenous attention control. Scientific Reports 11 (2205), ISSN 2045-2322. Portugal, A.M*., Bedford, R.*, Cheung, C.H.M., Gliga, T., Smith, T.J. (2020) Saliency-Driven Visual Search Performance in Toddlers With Low– vs High–Touch Screen Use. JAMA Pediatr. . doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.2344 (*joint first authors) Cheung, C. H., Bedford, R, de Urabin, I. R. S., Karmiloff-Smith, A., & Smith, T. J. (2017). Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset. Scientific Reports, 7 Bedford, R., de Urabain, I. R. S., Cheung, C. H., Karmiloff-Smith, A., & Smith, T. J. (2016). Toddlers’ fine motor milestone achievement is associated with early touchscreen scrolling. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 Portugal, Anna Maria and Bedford, Rachael and Cheung, Celeste and Mason, Luke and Smith, Tim J. (2021) Longitudinal touchscreen use across early development is associated with faster exogenous and reduced endogenous attention control. Scientific Reports 11 (2205), ISSN 2045-2322.
  • Upcoming Talks
    No upcoming talks at present...
  • Past Talks
    Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, St. Pete, Florida, USA, May 17-22 2019 Talk at the CBCD Seminar Series, London, March 5 2019 Talk at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, January 21 2019 Digital Media and Developing Minds 2nd National Congress at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, New York, USA, October 15-18 2018 Family event at the Science of Screen Time Science Day in Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, London, July 24 2018 Talk at the International Congress of Infant Studies, S9.8 Flash talk session 10: Babies and screens, Philadelphia, USA, July 3 2018 (14-15:30) Informal discussion and poster at the Techtopia Festival in Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, London, May 24 - June 3 2018 Talk at the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland, USA, May 29 2018 Talk at the CBCD Seminar Series, London, 24 April 2018 Poster presentation, European Conference on Visual Perception, Berlin, Germany. August 2017 Poster presentation, 23rd Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Research Conference, Massachusetts, USA, April 28 2017 Paper Symposium on Media and Self-Regulation: Research and Implications for Policy and Practice, SRCD Biennial Meeting, Austin, Texas, USA, April 6 - 8 2017 Talk at the 4th EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD, Berlin, Germany, October 19 2016 Symposium on Growing up in a Multisensory World, BPS Developmental Section Annual Conference, Belfast, Northern Ireland, September 14 2016 Talk at the Pre-school Learning Alliance, Annual Alliance Member Event, London, June 10 2016
Resources

Evidence

  • Publications
    Portugal, Anna Maria and Bedford, Rachael and Cheung, Celeste and Mason, Luke and Smith, Tim J. (2021) Longitudinal touchscreen use across early development is associated with faster exogenous and reduced endogenous attention control. Scientific Reports 11 (2205), ISSN 2045-2322. Portugal, A.M*., Bedford, R.*, Cheung, C.H.M., Gliga, T., Smith, T.J. (2020) Saliency-Driven Visual Search Performance in Toddlers With Low– vs High–Touch Screen Use. JAMA Pediatr. . doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.2344 (*joint first authors) Cheung, C. H., Bedford, R, de Urabin, I. R. S., Karmiloff-Smith, A., & Smith, T. J. (2017). Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset. Scientific Reports, 7 Bedford, R., de Urabain, I. R. S., Cheung, C. H., Karmiloff-Smith, A., & Smith, T. J. (2016). Toddlers’ fine motor milestone achievement is associated with early touchscreen scrolling. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 Portugal, Anna Maria and Bedford, Rachael and Cheung, Celeste and Mason, Luke and Smith, Tim J. (2021) Longitudinal touchscreen use across early development is associated with faster exogenous and reduced endogenous attention control. Scientific Reports 11 (2205), ISSN 2045-2322.
  • Upcoming Talks
    No upcoming talks at present...
  • Past Talks
    Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society, St. Pete, Florida, USA, May 17-22 2019 Talk at the CBCD Seminar Series, London, March 5 2019 Talk at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, January 21 2019 Digital Media and Developing Minds 2nd National Congress at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Long Island, New York, USA, October 15-18 2018 Family event at the Science of Screen Time Science Day in Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, London, July 24 2018 Talk at the International Congress of Infant Studies, S9.8 Flash talk session 10: Babies and screens, Philadelphia, USA, July 3 2018 (14-15:30) Informal discussion and poster at the Techtopia Festival in Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, London, May 24 - June 3 2018 Talk at the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland, USA, May 29 2018 Talk at the CBCD Seminar Series, London, 24 April 2018 Poster presentation, European Conference on Visual Perception, Berlin, Germany. August 2017 Poster presentation, 23rd Massachusetts Statewide Undergraduate Research Conference, Massachusetts, USA, April 28 2017 Paper Symposium on Media and Self-Regulation: Research and Implications for Policy and Practice, SRCD Biennial Meeting, Austin, Texas, USA, April 6 - 8 2017 Talk at the 4th EUNETHYDIS International Conference on ADHD, Berlin, Germany, October 19 2016 Symposium on Growing up in a Multisensory World, BPS Developmental Section Annual Conference, Belfast, Northern Ireland, September 14 2016 Talk at the Pre-school Learning Alliance, Annual Alliance Member Event, London, June 10 2016
Evidence
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