Health Effects Of Young Kids Being On Screens Too Long

Question: What are the health effects of young kids being on screens too long? 

Answer: We looked at lots of meta-analyses (studies that pool several studies on the same topic) to summarize the links between long amounts of time on screens and specific health outcomes:  

• Sleep: In this meta-analysis, using screens for a long time and using screens at nighttime was associated with poorer sleep in infants and toddlers. Unfortunately, the design of these studies made it hard to determine the direction of effects: in other words, whether kids who struggle with sleep are more likely to be given more media - or, if kids who are given more media then struggle with sleep. 
• Language development: Researchers looked at 42 studies, many that followed kids over a long period of time, and found that overall screen time and having a TV on in the background were linked with lower language skills in young children. However, viewing educational content or watching with a parent/caregiver was associated with increased language skills.  
• Behavior: Researchers looked at 87 studies that examined links between screen time and behavioral problems, finding a very small relationship between the two - with higher impact on boys than girls. Boys who had longer screen time were more aggressive, but only slightly more when the research took into account children who had higher aggression to begin with.  

Our takeaways from these dozens of research studies are that the amount of time on screens or using media does matter for young children, but only to a small degree -- because it is only one dimension of a child’s relationship with screen media. 

Other dimensions worth considering are: 

• What is it displacing? Is all the time on screens getting in the way of some other emotional connection opportunity the child might otherwise have with their family, like hearing stories, snuggling or learning some special skill (like cooking, telling jokes) that their caregiver wants to share with them?  
• Is it high quality media, or ‘junk food’ media? Watching educational media is clearly better for kids’ development. A recent study showed that very little of the videos on YouTube are educational, and the videos that are recommended the most are full of consumerist content. Therefore, it’s a good bet to stick with popular educational shows like Bluey or Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and snuggling/watching along. 
• Is the time on screens well spent? In other words, is it meaningful, fascinating, joyful? Or is it compulsive, repetitive, and driven by design tricks that keep kids on longer, or put their minds on autopilot? One hour watching Daniel Tiger is going to be better for your child’s developing mind than one hour playing a bubble-popping app, shooter game, or watching videos of other kids playing with toys. 

Additional Resources 

• Our recent portal response helps parents and caregivers begin to set limitations on tech time where there are none. 
• Healthychildren.org recommends creating a Family Media Plan to facilitate discussion around safe and practical media use that works for a family’s specific needs:  
• Common Sense Media provides guides on a multitude of websites and games that kids are on. Check out this link to find out all you need to know about Roblox. 
• YouTube offers a Kids version called YouTube Kids that is a kid-targeted safe version of YouTube. It is designed for children preschool age to 12 years old. Here is a step-by-step guide that was created by Common Sense Media and the University of Michigan to help you better understand how YouTube works and how to help guide children to the best content on these platforms.  
• Common Sense Media published this article titled “How Much Screen Time is OK for My Kids?” which emphasizes how quality of media use is more important than setting a screen time limit.
• Common Sense Media also provides guidance on assessing the quality of a child’s digital media use in “Are Some Types of Screen Time Better Than Others?”  

Age: Toddler, Pre-schooler, Elementary, 2-11 

Topics:  Screen Time Limits, Sleep, Health Effects 

Role: Parent/Caregiver