TITLE

More Screen Time Linked to Delayed Development in Babies, Study Finds

DESCRIPTION

What an interesting finding?  With more screen time (up to 4 hours a day) there was less face-to-face interaction between parents and babies.  “One-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time a day experienced developmental delays in communication and problem-solving skills at ages 2 and 4, according to a study published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics.  The research also found that 1-year-olds who were exposed to more screen time than their peers showed delays at age 2 in the development of fine motor and personal and social skills. But these delays appeared to dissipate by age 4.”  The article discusses how the methodology led to the conclusions and findings.  The authors are clear to state that this was not cause and effect but rather the findings are due to less important interactions between parents and the babies.

SOURCE

New York Times, August 21, 2023, by By Matt Richtel

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/21/health/screen-time-developmental-delays-babies.html?campaign_id=34&emc=edit_sc_20230822&instance_id=100602&nl=science-times&regi_id=38200791&segment_id=142606&te=1&user_id=c6b93a8d82143938176a0b35d93b5dab

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/9nzztkuu

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

•After reading the article, can you discuss the study in terms of other work on infant and child stimulation?

•Why do the authors feel that screen time deprived the children of direct parent-child interaction?

•What advice would you give to parents regarding “screen time” and their children based on the information of this article?