Screen Time and Social Language Development

Screen time is often unavoidable.  Cell phones, tablets, and televisions can be found almost everywhere.  How has this explosion of electronic media affected society and what can we do about it?

The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) updated their recommendations regarding screen time in November 2016.  For preschoolers, they recommend no more than one hour of high quality screen time a day (preferably with an adult) and no screen time during meals or one hour before bedtime.  They also recommend that media not be used to help children calm down on a regular basis.  So what about those all those great apps meant to prepare our children for school?  With a few exceptions, these apps tend to focus on rote skills and are not based on developmentally appropriate practice.  They also tend to reduce the time that preschoolers spend interacting with other people, which is proven to increase language and social skills.  In fact the AAP states “It is important to emphasize to parents that the higher-order thinking skills and executive functions essential for school success, such as task persistence, impulse control, emotion regulation, and creative, flexible thinking, are best taught through unstructured and social (not digital) play, as well as responsive parent–child interactions.”

So what to do? Look at the times when you tend to put your child in front of a screen and come up with alternatives.  For example, if you tend to give your child a phone while waiting in a restaurant, you have many choices:  find a restaurant with faster service, bring a small non-electronic game or book you can look at together (look and find books are great), or draw and play simple games with crayons and paper. While grocery shopping, have your child “read” their own list, make choices, or help you find items.  Have fun rather than thinking of it as a chore.  Time spent with your child will not only improve their language skills, but will also teach them social skills like taking turns, reading nonverbal cues, impulse control, and how to understand the perspective of others.

Parents should also look at the amount of time they are looking at their personal devices.  Are you missing out in interacting with your child?  Children need back and forth interactions to learn social communication skills.  We all live busy lives and sometimes we need to remind ourselves to stop and enjoy the moment with those around us.

Resources:

American Academy of Pediatrics       aap.org

Center on the Developing Child         developingchild.harvard.edu

The Hanen Centre                               hanen.org