Study Finds Link Between Toddler Screen Time and Developmental Delays

Study Finds Link Between Toddler Screen Time and Developmental Delays

Study Finds Link Between, Toddler Screen Time, and Developmental Delays.

A new study warns that allowing toddlers to play with phones or tablets may impact their development.

CNN reports that a study of 7,097 children found that one to four hours of screen time a day at the age of one was linked to higher risks for developmental delays.

Those risks included delays in communication, fine motor skills, problem-solving, and personal and social development by age two.

It’s a really important study because it has a very large sample size of children who’ve been followed for several years, Dr. Jason Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, via CNN.

The study fills an important gap because it identifies specific developmental delays (in skills) such as communication and problem-solving associated with screen time, Dr. Jason Nagata, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, via CNN.

CNN reports that experts suggest alternative means of keeping toddlers busy, such as books, art supplies for coloring or toys.

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According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the quality of screen time matters more than just the amount of time spent watching.

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The organization offers resources to help determine guidelines and limitations for families.

Those resources include a custom family media plan that can be tailored to meet individual family needs and advice for developing healthy habits for kids.

Longer term, one of the real goals is for kids just to be able to sit quietly in their own thoughts.

When they’re allowed to be a little bit bored for a second, they get a little uncomfortable, but then they’re like, ‘OK, I want to make myself more comfortable.’ And that’s how creativity happens, Dr. John Hutton, Associate professor of general and community pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, via CNN.

Longer term, one of the real goals is for kids just to be able to sit quietly in their own thoughts.

When they’re allowed to be a little bit bored for a second, they get a little uncomfortable, but then they’re like, ‘OK, I want to make myself more comfortable.’ And that’s how creativity happens, Dr. John Hutton, Associate professor of general and community pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, via CNN