Benefits and damages of the use of touchscreen devices for the development and behavior of children under 5 years old—a systematic review

Abstract

Aim Several health organizations have been expressing concern about the amount of time children spend using electronic devices and about the benefits and damages of the use of touchscreen devices, such as smartphones or tablets, for the development and behavior of children under the age of 5. A systematic review was carried out in order to understand the impact of touchscreen device usage toward children’s development and behavior under the age of 5. Methods Using the PRISMA method, from a total of 6314 studies found in online databases, searched in English, between 01/01/2000 and 01/10/2018, 11 studies were selected for analysis. Results The results revealed that, in children under the age of 5, the damages of the use of touchscreen devices are superior to the benefits that may result, especially when there are more hours of screen time. More importance is given to the quality of the child-adult relationship and not to the use of touchscreen devices. Nevertheless, some studies emphasize some aspects that may reduce the negative effects, such as moderate use, less screen time, parental monitoring, and viewing educational programs in an academic environment. Conclusions Guidelines that should be given to parents about the use of touchscreen devices by children are discussed. The limitation of this study was the difficulty in finding studies directed to the desired age and type of electronic device. This may be taken as a potential cause of bias.

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

“…Tablet use in the early years might have posited both benefits and risks in early childhood development, thus deserves empirical studies. Rocha and Nunes reviewed 11 studies and found that the damages were superior to the benefits, especially when screen time increased [2]. They have also underscored the difficulties in finding studies directed to the desired age and type of electronic device, which is a potential cause of bias.…”

“…Since the early 2010s, tablet use has become increasingly prevalent in young children's daily life and has prompted substantial public concerns about its impact on children's brain development [17,18]. Most of the existing studies have reported survey and behavioral evidence [2,3], yet no neuroimaging evidence has been reported. This study was thus dedicated to filling this research gap by conducting the DCCS task with fNIRS to understand the impact of tablet use on EF.…”

“…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 the 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]. So far, many studies have examined the impact of tablet use on young children's brain development, but the results are still mixed [3].…”

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

“…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 ]. So far, many studies have examined the impact of tablet use on young children’s brain development, but the results are still mixed [ 3 ].…”

“…Tablet use in the early years might have posited both benefits and risks in early childhood development, thus deserves empirical studies. Rocha and Nunes reviewed 11 studies and found that the damages were superior to the benefits, especially when screen time increased [ 2 ]. They also underscored the difficulties in finding studies directed to the desired age and type of electronic device, which is a potential cause of bias.…”