Screen Time Associated with Later Verbal Development

Toddlers can be chatty, but some are slower to speak than others. According to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, more screen time among young children is associated with the inability to tell a story. At age 3, children with very limited screen time were most likely to tell stories, especially if they did not exceed the one-hour recommended limit. However, children who had higher screen time were less likely to be able to use three-word sentences, ask a question, or tell a story. Among 3-year-olds, each additional hour of screen time was associated with lower rates of storytelling. Excessive screen time in early childhood may be putting children at risk of delayed verbal development.

by Isabella Dini