Parents too much screen time is bad for our kid’s development – but new research suggests it has negative effects even when they’re not the ones watching.
Parents who spent more than four hours on screens on an average weekend day had children with poorer language skills, new research by a team of Estonian scientists has found.
The researchers ranked the screen time of 421 toddler and preschool-aged children as low (under one hour), moderate
A child’s language development in the early years depends on daily interaction with their parents – screen exposure can hamper that.
Screens have become a major part of our life. From work to leisure to entertainment, the screen is ubiquitous.
However, when we spend too much time looking at the screen, naturally that habit is replicated by our children.
But in their age, too much screen time can affect their cognitive functioning and cause difficulty in language development.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Tiia Tulviste, said, “Our study shifts the focus from just children’s screen time to the role of family screen habits by showing that mothers’ and fathers’ screen use influences children’s language skills.”
She further added, “It highlights the need for family-based approaches when managing screen time.”
Moreover, another study done in September last year highlighted toddlers ages 24 to 30 months learn language through either live interaction or video chat but not through videos.
