Frequent Screen Use Impacts Language Skills in Children, Study Reveals

Scientists in Estonia conducted a study on 421 children to determine if screen usage impacts their language development. The study was published in Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, and it found that homes with a lot of screens, where children frequently use these screens, show signs of delayed speech. The lead author of the study, Dr. Tiia Tulviste of the University of Tartu, says that most children learn languages and everyday behaviors while interacting with adults. However, nowadays, many children are actively involved in watching screens, which affects how they develop language and speech.

For the study, the researchers gathered families of 421 children between the ages of 2 and 4 years. They asked the parents how much their children typically use screens and what types of screens are used on an average day. The parents were also asked how much they use screens as a family, such as for watching a movie. They were then handed a questionnaire that included questions about their child’s speaking abilities.

The researchers then divided the children and adults into three groups according to screen use—low, moderate, and high. They found that parents who used screens a lot also had children who used screens frequently. On the other hand, parents with low screen usage had children with similarly low screen usage. The children who were not using screens frequently had better grammar and vocabulary. However, regardless of how low or high the screen time was, it had some negative effects on a child's language skills.

If the parents or children were using screens for gaming, there were more negative effects on the child’s learning abilities. Games in foreign languages didn’t provide learning opportunities for children. The authors of the study stated that more research is needed to determine how family members' screen time impacts children's learning and language development.

Image: DIW-Aigen

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World