Hey Parents, Tech Is Reshaping Your Kid’s Development and It’s Not Looking Good

But here’s what you can do

It’s time to sound the alarm on tech, especially when it concerns kids.

We used to have more personal time with our kids. We’d tell or read stories and sing nursery rhymes to them. The stories taught them lessons and family history. The melodies helped them learn language, rhythm, and cultural heritage.

But we’ve replaced those activities with screens.

We keep children busy with cartoons or educational apps. Sing-alongs have been replaced by YouTube videos or kids’ shows on streaming services.

Yes, it’s convenient, but at what cost?

Kids went from being active and participatory learning (singing and storytelling) to a passive consumption of stimuli (watching an endlessly entertaining screen).

We underestimate how big of a change this is.

Not anymore. Here’s where we’re heading if we don’t make a radical change.

Screen time overload

Too much screen time is messing with the baby’s sensory wiring.

A group of researchers from the Drexel University College of Medicine dived into how early-life exposure to digital media (like TV and videos) impacts sensory processing in toddlers.

Scientists gathered data from the National Children’s Study, a study looking at environmental influences on child health and development, and tracked a bunch of kids from birth to the terrible age of two to see how much they were zoning out in front of screens.

They asked parents of 1,471 children how much time their kids spent looking at digital media and how they processed sensory info like noise, lights, and touch. For this, they used a questionnaire called Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP). Specifically, these were the sensory behaviors they looked at:

• Low registration: kids who don’t really notice or react much to what’s going on around them.
• Sensation seeking: little adventurers who are always on the hunt for exciting experiences.
• Sensory sensitivity: kids who feel everything intensely, like lights feeling too bright or noises too loud.
• Sensation avoiding: youngsters who prefer to keep things calm and steady. They stay away from too much sensory input.

The results are sadly discouraging

By the time the toddlers hit their first birthday, the ones who were more into screens than sandbox play were 2x more likely to be less responsive to their surroundings. In other words, they had a high level of low registration meaning they were less likely to notice stimuli.

At 18 to 24 months, the “screen-savvy” kids were more likely to be overwhelmed or freaked out by sensory stimuli. They would be overly sensitive to sensory input or seeking too many sensory experiences. At the age of two, every hour of screen time increased the risk of high sensation-seeking and sensory sensitivity by 20% and 25%, respectively.

From screen time to developmental milestones

Another study by researchers from the Tohoku University in Japan also assessed the influence of screen time in toddlers but unlike the previous study, they tracked the same kids for several years. This allowed scientists to see patterns and changes over time, giving a clearer picture of cause and effect.

They looked at 7,097 toddlers on how much screen time they had as one-year-olds and then fast-forwarding to see how they were doing at ages 2 and 4 in areas like chatting, moving around, solving problems, and hanging out with others.

They would have parents fill out a questionnaire about the time spent watching TV, and DVDs, playing video games, and using mobile phones, tablets, or other electronic devices. Then at the ages of 2 and 4 assess the developmental progress with Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-3).

The cost of early screen addiction

The results show that the more these kids were glued to screens before they hit their first birthday, the more likely they were to have issues with communication and problem-solving skills at the ages of 2 and 4.

The more screen time, the higher the risk of developmental delays.

However, gross motor skills like crawling and walking weren’t affected by screen time. Screens only messed with the parts of the brain that dealt with talking and figuring stuff out.

Sadly, it’s not a little increase in risk. Those 1-year-olds that had more than 4 hours of screen time daily had a risk of problems with communicating about 2.7 times higher compared to the less screen-addicted peers. The problem-solving skills were nearly twice as likely to be delayed.

“Luckily”, only 4.1% of the children in the study had 4 or more hours/day of screen exposure. Most had less than 1 hour per day (48.5%).

What does this mean for parents?

This isn’t just about less playtime or kids being unable to build a proper Lego tower. The atypical way these kids process sensorial input is linked to other issues.

It has been linked to ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and other developmental issues. It messes up with the child’s ability to deal with everyday sensory information.

So please parents, stop placing your children in front of a screen for so long. I understand it can be hard to deal with them and a screen lets you breathe for a while but if it’s too frequent you’ll be dealing with more difficult challenges along the way.

Your iPad isn’t a substitute nanny. Dial back the digital babysitter.

Limit screen time, especially for kids under 2 years.

The first couple of years are critical for brain development so let them play and experience their surroundings. Kids need to touch, smell, and activate all senses, not just sight and sound. Think of it like setting up the foundation of a house. The more varied the experiences, the more solid their brain’s foundation.

Too much screen time might be rewiring their brains in ways that aren’t exactly setting them up for success in life.

Some tips for parents and caregivers

I know it’s hard to limit screen time with toddlers, especially if they’re annoying and you’re losing your mind near them.

But here are some things you could do.

• Make a plan: have a daily schedule with certain times for a bit of screen fun. Keep it regular. For instance, screen time might be just after afternoon naps.
• Lead by example: this one is completely on you. Kids copy what they see. So, if you’re often on your phone or tablet, they’ll want to do the same. Try to cut down your screen time at least when you’re around them.
• Join in: don’t just hand over the tablet and walk away. Sit with them. Watch or play together. Choose cool educational stuff and chat about it.
• Cool non-screen activities: offer fun alternatives like playing outside, storybooks, puzzles, or drawing. Keep these things close by, so they’re easy to rely on. Oh and praise them a lot for playing without screens. You need to positively reinforce these non-screen activities.

And if your kid is a bit of a screen lover already, don’t cut it out all at once. Gradually reduce the time over a few days or weeks. Just like any addiction, go slowly.

Final thoughts

Screens are not all evil.

They help when you’re exhausted or when there’s nothing else you can do to keep them quiet. But don’t abuse their power or it will suck them completely and then you’ll have bigger problems to deal with.

Have a balanced approach.

Screens are here and are not going away.

You just need to learn to deal with tech more healthily and it will become an asset instead of a drug.

Let’s not completely replace storytime with screen time and we’ll get the digital dilemma out of the way.

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