Preschoolers’ screen time and reduced opportunities for quality interaction: Associations with language development and parent-child closeness

Abstract

Children today spend an unprecedented amount of their time watching or interacting with screens. In this research, we examined the use of screen time (both television and electronic media use) in relation to preschoolers’ language development and the parent-child relationship. Participants were 84 parents and their preschoolers. Children ranged in age from 3 to 5 years old. Parents provided survey data and children were assessed on language ability and comprehension. Results show that preschool children who spent more time on screens, both television viewing and electronic media use, scored lower on language production, language comprehension, and parent-child closeness. Further, we found support for the displacement hypothesis, with significant indirect effects of screen time on language and parent-child closeness through reductions in shared reading and quality parent-child interactions.

Keywords

• Screen time
• Oral language
• Parent-child relationship
• Language development
• Shared reading
• Social interaction