Screen Time and Language Development

Becoming verbal is not innate but rather a skill children acquire through interactions with their primary caregivers. Parents who engage in conversation and reading with their children foster language development. When parents actively listen to their children and show genuine interest in their thoughts, children learn to express themselves and engage in meaningful conversation with others. Building language skills necessitates the physical and emotional presence of parents or primary caregivers who actively engage with the children.

In today's society, however, parents are often preoccupied. They are less emotionally available, and increasingly distracted by work and technology. This leaves children to fend for themselves, too often engaging with technology at younger and younger ages. An Australian study of 220 families published earlier this month in JAMA Pediatrics found that excessive screen time impedes conversation skills at various ages. At 18 months old, each additional minute of screen time correlated with 1.3 fewer child vocalizations, and at 2 years old, it led to 0.4 fewer conversational turns. The negative impact was most pronounced at 3 years old, with just one extra minute of screen time associated with 6.6 fewer adult words, 4.9 fewer child vocalizations, and 1.1 fewer conversational turns. The authors concluded that:

For families who follow the current World Health Organization screen time guidelines (eg, 1 hour per day at 36 months of age), the present results indicate that children could be missing out on approximately 397 adult words (ie, 6.62 × 60 minutes), 294 vocalizations, and 68 conversational turns every day.

There is a way to find a balance. Not all technology is detrimental to children's communication and socialization skills. When parents watch movies or educational television with their children and interact with them, children can learn to process and discuss what they are experiencing. For example, watching shows like "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" together and discussing the content fosters shared experiences and meaningful interaction. However, many parents resort to using technology as a babysitting tool, which limits these opportunities for interaction. Technology in moderation, such as during long car trips or on public transportation, may not be harmful, but excessive use leads to social withdrawal and hinders skill development.

Our society increasingly encourages dissociation as a coping mechanism for modern stressors, whether that is through excessive screen time, internet usage, or substance abuse. Allowing children to engage with technology excessively often stems from parents' inability to maintain meaningful connections with their children without needing to disconnect. The adolescents I treat frequently express feelings of loneliness and disconnection. They often mask any underlying difficulties in social interaction with self-diagnosed social anxiety. In order to reverse this trend, parents must reflect on their behaviors and set positive examples for their children. Technology addiction among parents tends to be passed down to their children and perpetuates disconnection. Setting limits for children’s screen time and properly monitoring their usage are essential strategies for promoting healthy technology habits as well as language development. By establishing boundaries and supervising their digital activities, parents can ensure that technology enhances rather than hinders their children's social and cognitive development.

Language is a crucial aspect of social interaction, and healthy communication habits are vital for children's social development. Parents must assess their strengths and weaknesses and model technology behaviors and set technology limits for the family that promote connection rather than disconnection.

Erica Komisar, LCSW is a psychoanalyst and author of Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters and Chicken Little The Sky Isn’t Falling: Raising Resilient Adolescents in the New Age of Anxiety.