Children and Screens

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Abstract

Since the advent of television in the 1950s, parents, educators, researchers, and policy makers have been concerned about the effects of screen time on children's development. Then, when computers became widely used, a new wave of interest in the positive and negative effects of this new medium was generated. Within the past 15 years, the development of the smartphone and tablet has completely changed the landscape of screen time. This review examines the current state of the research regarding the relation between children (from infancy to age 8 years) and screens. Using principles from the Science of Learning as a guide, we invite content creators and researchers to create a new wave of the digital revolution, one in which we need to prompt rather than substitute for social interaction.

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Most cited references 157

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Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory.

Fergus I. M. Craik, Endel Tulving (1975)

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Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching

Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller, Richard Clark (2006)

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Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews

Neza Stiglic, Russell M Viner (2019)

Objectives To systematically examine the evidence of harms and benefits relating to time spent on screens for children and young people’s (CYP) health and well-being, to inform policy. Methods Systematic review of reviews undertaken to answer the question ‘What is the evidence for health and well-being effects of screentime in children and adolescents (CYP)?’ Electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews in February 2018. Eligible reviews reported associations between time on screens (screentime; any type) and any health/well-being outcome in CYP. Quality of reviews was assessed and strength of evidence across reviews evaluated. Results 13 reviews were identified (1 high quality, 9 medium and 3 low quality). 6 addressed body composition; 3 diet/energy intake; 7 mental health; 4 cardiovascular risk; 4 for fitness; 3 for sleep; 1 pain; 1 asthma. We found moderately strong evidence for associations between screentime and greater obesity/adiposity and higher depressive symptoms; moderate evidence for an association between screentime and higher energy intake, less healthy diet quality and poorer quality of life. There was weak evidence for associations of screentime with behaviour problems, anxiety, hyperactivity and inattention, poorer self-esteem, poorer well-being and poorer psychosocial health, metabolic syndrome, poorer cardiorespiratory fitness, poorer cognitive development and lower educational attainments and poor sleep outcomes. There was no or insufficient evidence for an association of screentime with eating disorders or suicidal ideation, individual cardiovascular risk factors, asthma prevalence or pain. Evidence for threshold effects was weak. We found weak evidence that small amounts of daily screen use is not harmful and may have some benefits. Conclusions There is evidence that higher levels of screentime is associated with a variety of health harms for CYP, with evidence strongest for adiposity, unhealthy diet, depressive symptoms and quality of life. Evidence to guide policy on safe CYP screentime exposure is limited. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018089483.

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Author and article information

Journal

Title: Annual Review of Developmental Psychology

Abbreviated Title: Annu. Rev. Dev. Psychol.

Publisher: Annual Reviews

ISSN (Print): 2640-7922

ISSN (Electronic): 2640-7922

Publication date Created: December 15 2020

Publication date (Print): December 15 2020

Volume: 2

Issue: 1

Pages: 69-92

Affiliations

[1 ]Psychology Department, Pace University, New York, NY 10038, USA;

[2 ]Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43201, USA

[3 ]School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA

[4 ]Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA

[5 ]The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC 20036, USA

Article

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-060320-095612

SO-VID: 6e87406e-8402-4531-a8bd-0f8ad742699c

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Education,Social policy & Welfare,Psychology,General behavioral science,Family & Child studies

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ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology, Education, Social policy & Welfare, Psychology, General behavioral science, Family & Child studies

Children and Screens

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Abstract

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Annual Reviews Child Development

Most cited references 157

Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory.

Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching

Effects of screentime on the health and well-being of children and adolescents: a systematic review of reviews

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