Children learn from adults – this also applies to language development. If small children instead sit in front of the screen for long periods of time, many important conversation moments are missed, a team of Australian researchers warns. This means that they hear fewer words, interact less and notice fewer conversational processes.
The resulting language development may be delayed, the group explains in the journal “JAMA Pediatrics.” Studies have repeatedly shown how important it is for a child’s language acquisition and social-emotional development to talk and interact a lot in the home environment, the article said. In many cases, however, they focused on parents’ screen time and its consequences.
Children between 12 and 36 months observed
The group led by Mary Brushe from the University of Adelaide’s School of Public Health had now collected data from 220 families every six months from January 2018 to December 2021 using speech recognition technology. The 12- to 36-month-old children’s screen time and home language environment were recorded on an average 16-hour day.
The analysis showed that each increase in screen time was associated with a decrease in the number of parent-child conversations. The children heard fewer words from the adults in their household, spoke less themselves and interacted less often in conversations. The largest decrease per minute of screen time was observed at 36 months of age.
400 to 1000 fewer words heard
Even in families that adhere to current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on screen time – one hour per day for three-year-olds – children can miss around 400 adult words per day, according to the study. However, it is estimated that the average screen time is much higher in most families.
When three-year-olds spend an average of 172 minutes a day in front of a screen, as in the study, they miss an average of more than 1,000 words that adults in their environment address to them, the researchers explain. However, no research has been conducted into whether children who spend a particularly long time in front of a screen actually have a smaller vocabulary and poorer language skills.
Talking to children is extremely important
“For children’s language development in the early years, it is important to grow up in a linguistically rich home environment,” the research team said. This influences, among other things, school readiness and success during the rest of the educational process.
“Talking with children seems like a simple and straightforward activity,” the study also states. However, in the busy lives of families, this is often not so easy. It is unrealistic for families to completely stop using their smartphones or tablets to keep small children occupied. “Instead, programs and policies could focus on encouraging families to use screen time as an opportunity to communicate with their child,” the researchers said.
Source: Krone
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