Study: Screen Time Hinders Brain Development In Language & Cognitive Skills In Kids

For most of us, smartphones and tablets weren’t around while we were growing up. But these days, it’s not uncommon to see babies on the bus or MRT tapping their screens and playing mobile games or watching videos. 

Although it’s a good way to keep these kids entertained, is it beneficial for their development? 

Not at all, according to a study reported by CNN.

After testing children of age 3 to 5, it was discovered that kids who used screens for more than an hour a day without parental involvement, which is the recommended amount, had poorer development of their brain’s white matter. 

White Matter And Why It Matters

The white matter is the part of the brain that helps in the development of one’s speaking skills, cognitive skills, the ability to read and pick up languages so it is important for it to properly develop when kids are young.

One of the doctors involved in the study, Dr. John Hutton said “This is important because the brain is developing the most rapidly in the first five years. That’s when brains are very plastic and soaking up everything, forming these strong connections that last for life.”

As seen in the picture, the blue areas are the less developed areas of white matter tracts in one’s brain due to higher screen usage.

Excessive Screen Usage is Bad

Other than a poorer development of one’s brain’s white matter, other studies have shown that watching too much TV could lead to kids being unable to process thoughts coherently and could deter them from paying attention in the future. This could also lead to poorer eating habits and other problems with their behaviour.

The reason why Dr Hutton states the kids use so much screen time could be because their parents do too and this results in less time for parent-child interactions. 

Also, because of mobile devices, it has become so easy for kids to use screens any and everywhere. 

What is worrying is that these days, kids as young as just two or three months old are starting to use screens. In fact, 90% of kids use screens before they even turn one, and this could be bad for their brain’s development. 

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter

A new study that used a type of MRI known as a diffusion tensor imaging, examined the brains of 47 brain healthy children who were younger than kindergarten age, to look at the development of their brain’s white matter.

The kids were asked to do cognitive tests before their MRI and their parents were asked to fill up a scoring system on their child’s screen time. 

The scoring system was used to determine how much a kid was allowed to use a screen, how often they used it and if their kid used the screen by themselves or with another adult around.

In the end, the results showed that children who were exposed to screens for more than an hour daily without parental interaction resulted in the underdevelopment of their white matter in their brains.

A Behind The Screen Look

While the results were interesting, Dr Jenny Radesky, an author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ screen use guideline states that it is” important for parents to know that these results don’t show that heavy media use causes ‘brain damage’”. 

This is because the screen time didn’t ‘damage’ the children’s white matter, instead, it could be that screen time is too passive for the white matter to properly develop. 

It could also be because the excessive use of screens stopped kids from experiencing other things like interacting with their friends and family. This could have stopped the kids from experiencing things that could aid in the development of their brain’s networks.

More Screens Less Skills

It was also found out that kids that had more screen use were less able to rapidly name objects on their cognitive tests in comparison to their peers. 

Although everything is relative, it could add up since Dr Hutton points out that kids that lag behind early on in life tend to lag even further later on in life. This means it could affect them when they start school or even when they are adults. 

Not The Only Factor

While it was screen use that was tested in this study, Dr Radesky points out that many other home and family factors should be taken into consideration when brain development is being looked at.

Stress, parents, and exposure to different languages; these are just a few of the many factors that affect a child’s development, none of which were taken into account in this study. 

White Or Wrong

So for the sake of the development of their child’s white brain matter, does it mean that parents should stop letting their child use screens? 

Well, if they are under the age of 18 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics would suggest you don’t expose them to phones and tablets, yes. 

But if they are over the age of two and can learn to pick up words from video chats and interactive games, a bit of screen use, along with guidance from the parents, could be beneficial for the kids to pick up new information.

As for kids who are three to five years old, watching quality shows like Dora or Sesame Street that teaches children new words and information could help to improve a child’s cognitive skills and even their social development.

So what’s the conclusion? Parents just need to know the right amount of time to allow their kids to use the screens and to keep in mind what kids are using their screen time to do. 

I guess that’s bad news for you, babies.