Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management

Abstract

Children's heavy reliance on screen media has raised serious public health issues since it might harm their cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth. This study examines the effects of screen time on many developmental domains and covers management and limitation techniques for kids' screen usage. Screen media has a wide range of cognitive consequences, with both beneficial and detrimental effects noted. Screens can improve education and learning; however, too much time spent in front of a screen and multitasking with other media has been related to worse executive functioning and academic performance. As screen time reduces the amount and quality of interactions between children and their caregivers, it can also have an impact on language development. Contextual elements like co-viewing and topic appropriateness are key in determining how language development is impacted. Additionally, excessive screen usage has detrimental effects on social and emotional growth, including a rise in the likelihood of obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. It can obstruct the ability to interpret emotions, fuel aggressive conduct, and harm one's psychological health in general. Setting boundaries, utilizing parental controls, and demonstrating good screen behavior are all techniques that parents may use to manage children's screen usage. We can reduce the possible negative impacts of excessive screen time and promote children's healthy development and well-being by increasing knowledge and encouraging alternative activities that stimulate development.

Effects of Screen Time and Phonemic Segmentation in School Going Children

“…Notably, the educational qualifications of the parents, particularly those with higher academic achievements, suggest a potential correlation with the children's phonological development, an aspect that has been underscored in prior studies. For instance, research has highlighted the impact of parental education on children's language skills, suggesting that a higher level of parental education may be associated with enhanced phonological memory and awareness in children (16)(17)(18). The finding that screen time does not significantly differ across ages, provided it remains within a recommended safe limit, aligns with earlier studies suggesting that interactive screen activities may not adversely affect phonological memory in preschool-aged children.…”

Association between Family Functioning, Child Emotional and Behavioral Problems, and Parental Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Thailand

“…Figure 3 shows that increased screen time was correlated with more hyperactivity problems, conduct problems, and poor family communication. It has been shown in many studies that screen time was associated with child well-being and child development [36][37][38]. It is not surprising that screen time was found to be associated with poor family communication since it was associated with children's social isolation and hindered opportunities for social interaction [39].…”

Screen Time and Health Impact among Preschool Children

“…Furthermore, gaming appears to be associated with diminished emotional understanding in boys, while this effect is not observed in girls. According to these results, children's emotional development may be impacted differently by various screen activities, possibly depending on their gender (Muppalla et al, 2023). Hence, prolonged screen exposure might pose greater risks to younger children compared to older adolescents (Qu et al, 2023).…”