The Influence of Media in Children’s Language Development

Abstract

Along with the rise of child-targeted programming became the belief that TV would be a very effective educational tool that could subconsciously or at a subliminal level feed information to the young mind and, with that, vocabulary growth would occur. Much programming was created that dealt with the direct educating of children that tried to create a way of communication with the child as a target. The paper discusses the influence of TV in children's language development. It investigates the notion that children's educational TV programs may result in vocabulary learning. It stresses the values of these educational programs, but also emphasizes that TV and other screen media have become a reality of life, and it is wise to utilize them only as a supportive tool for educating children. The interactions of parents co-viewing such programs with their children are necessary to optimize the child's language learning from TV programs that target children. The paper concludes with the implications of the current research as well as suggestions for further research.

Early language outcomes in Argentinean toddlers: Associations with home literacy, screen exposure and joint media engagement

“…On the other hand, several lines of evidence indicate that it is the quality-and not quantity-of media exposure that plays a key role on infants' linguistic outcomes (Chonchaiya & Pruksananonda, 2008;Hudson et al, 2013;Madigan et al, 2020). It has been suggested that better quality of screen use -that is educational programmes and co-viewing with caregivers -is positively related to child language-skills (Al-Harbi, 2015;Linebarger et al, 2014;Madigan et al, 2020). For instance, Mendelsohn et al (2010) found that, only when children are exposed to educational content, do verbal interactions contribute to children's language outcomes.…”

“…Children's sociocultural environments may have an impact on their linguistic exposure and are associated with their vocabulary development (Hoff, 2003;Rosemberg et al, 2020). During the first three years of life, infants' daily linguistic input stimulates their abilities to use and understand language (Al-Harbi, 2015;Bloom & Lahey, 1978;Sundqvist et al, 2021). These abilities play a crucial role in cognitive and social skills development, including expressive and receptive language, writing, spelling, general verbal ability, literacy skills, IQ, numeracy, executive function skills, among others (Linebarger et al, 2014;Linebarger & Vaala, 2010;Zauche et al, 2017).…”

Impact of the Use of Media Devices within the Family Context on the Language of Preteens

“…In this vein, a meta-analysis examining the effects of children’s exposure to international co-productions of Sesame Street, a program with clear learning content, showed significant positive effects of exposure to the program in cognitive outcomes [ 37 ]. Other studies have also shown that media used with educational purposes can improve language development, especially in economically disadvantaged children [ 11 ]. Therefore, the use given to media can influence language skills, which might mitigate their negative effect or even boost language development.…”

“…However, results are inconsistent, since there are studies that found that media exposure could also have positive effects on language development. In this sense, several authors report that viewing so-called educational programs at an early age of language acquisition could contribute to increasing vocabulary [ 11 , 12 ], although the acquisition of vocabulary seems to occur when the use of technologies is accompanied by the interaction with parents or caregivers [ 10 ]. Studies have even shown that using media for reading-related activities can be beneficial for learning [ 13 ] and that in certain cases, the use of certain applications can improve working memory [ 14 ].…”

Use of digital devices, family functioning, and language development in preschool children: a cross-sectional study

“…Family functioning, understood as a process in which family members interact with each other to meet basic needs, make decisions, establish rules, and set goals, simultaneously contributes to individual and family development (9) . The introduction of electronic devices into the family context can change family dynamics and lead to adaptations.…”