August 6, 2024

Is it about time we moved beyond screen ‘time’?

New research reveals ways to make children's screen use benefit their brains and behaviour

Screens are an unavoidable part of childhood. How often children use them is also a never-ending source of guilt and worry for Australian parents. And while guidelines exist to support healthy screen use for children, they’re often confusing.

It was the complexity around screen use that piqued the interest of researchers from the University of Wollongong (UOW), who set about finding out what else matters for children’s healthy development beyond screen time.  

Dr Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, Associate Professor Dylan Cliff and a team of researchers from the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child at UOW said researchers decided to gather all available evidence on “screen contexts” to find the answers.

“Our new research analysed 100 studies on the influence of screen use contexts on cognitive, social and emotional development among children aged from birth to five years,” Dr Mallawaarachchi said.

“We found that while in certain circumstances screen time may be linked to poorer cognitive and psychosocial outcomes, there are times when screen use can be positively associated with cognitive outcomes.

“Based on our findings from over 176,000 children and their families, we found there are certainly times when screen use can lead to negative cognitive and psychosocial outcomes, however there are many ways parents can make young children’s screen use benefit their brains and behaviour.”

The researchers found that using screens together with children was beneficial for children’s cognition, especially language outcomes.

“Watching a show like Bluey or using an app like Reading Eggs is not a bad thing, especially if children and caregivers engage together. Having conversations about what children are seeing or doing can help them understand the content, and foster their language and learning,” Dr Mallawaarachchi said.

Caregivers should also consider the type of content that children are engaging with and how it might influence their development and behaviour. Researchers found that children who spent more time watching TV programs and online content and children who watched more age-inappropriate content had poorer cognitive, social and behavioural outcomes.

“Avoiding violent content and content for mature audiences is key,” Dr Mallawaarachchi said. “There are trustworthy guides like Common Sense Media available for parents who would like guidance in choosing appropriate apps and content for their children”.

And it’s not just how children use their screens that needs to be taken into consideration, with researchers saying it’s up to adults to model positive screen use.

“In our research we found that children had better social and behavioural outcomes when parents avoided screen use during interactions and routines like family meals,” Associate Professor Cliff said.

“Sometimes parents’ screen time can interfere with conversations and connections between them and their child, but any distraction can cause a problem. What’s most important is being present and engaged with children and not letting screens become another distraction that breaks the time to bond.”

The research also explored the impact of background television (TV) in homes, with studies showing that it can reduce the frequency of words spoken and the number of new words used by parents in conversations with children.

“Children learn from their environments and having the TV on, even if it’s just in the background, can divert a child’s attention from play and learning. We do recommend that if the TV is not being actively watched, it’s best to switch it off so that children can play, listen and learn.”

Associate Professor Cliff said the researchers hope their findings will assist in the development of clearer global recommendations for families, clinicians and educators that consider the contexts of how screens are used, not just screen time limits.

“We’d love to see the development of new guidelines that consider the contexts of screen use – the types of screens being used, the content being accessed, co-use and purpose of use – to give parents and other carers a better understanding of what contributes to healthy screen habits, beyond time limits,” Associate Professor Cliff said.

“It’s hard to navigate screen use in an increasingly digital world, however if we’re mindful of these insights, we can help children grow up healthy and happy.”

UOW is committed to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a shared blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for everyone. This research addresses SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG 4: Quality Education.

More information

Associations of Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts with Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis is published by JAMA Pediatrics.

This research was funded by the Australian Research Council through the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, grant number CE200100022.