What is Screen Time Costing our Children in the Early Years?
In a world where screens are everywhere—from smart TVs and tablets to phones in our pockets—it’s no surprise that even our youngest children are being drawn into the digital swirl. But as technology becomes more embedded in daily life, a growing body of research is urging us to pause and ask: What is screen time costing our children in the early years? Toddler tantrums & tech — what’s really going on? You’re in a café. Your toddler’s bored. You hand them your phone. Peace… for now. Sound familiar? In today’s digital world, more and more parents are turning to screens to soothe toddler meltdowns. But while it might feel like a lifeline in the moment, over time it can delay something far more important: your child’s ability to regulate emotions. Tantrums aren’t “bad behaviour.” They’re big feelings in little people who don’t yet have the words—or the tools—to cope. As a parenting expert, I help families shift from “Plug in and Pacify” to “Pause and Connect.” Here are 3 quick tips to help your toddler learn emotional resilience—without always reaching for tech: Name it to tame it – “You’re feeling cross because we had to leave the park.” Create a calm corner – A cosy space with books, cuddly toys, or sensory items. Model calm – Your calm is contagious. Breathe through the storm together. Let’s raise children who can feel their feelings—not fear them. Let’s use tech intentionally—not as a crutch. Pause to Ponder and if you need a hand I’m here to help. 1. The Science of Screen Exposure The first five years of life are a time of incredible brain development. During this window, children’s brains are building the neural foundations for empathy, language, attention, and emotional regulation. And the best way to support that growth? Through real-world, multi-sensory interactions—not screens. When children engage with people, nature, and open-ended play, they experience the kind of stimulation that strengthens brain architecture. But when screens dominate the early years: These aren’t just minor hiccups—they’re foundational to a child’s lifelong wellbeing. 2. Tech in the Nursery: Helpful or Harmful? Screens are becoming more common in early years settings—sometimes used for entertainment, sometimes for managing behaviour, and often marketed as “educational.” But most so-called educational apps are built for profit, not child development. They often offer flashy animations and reward-based systems that interrupt deeper thinking and learning. More importantly, screen time can displace the very things young children need most: When screens are overused, they crowd out the simple joys of childhood—the games, the giggles, the mess, the magic. 3. Early Attachment in a Digital Age Let’s talk about technoference—that moment when a parent looks down at their phone during play, or scrolls through messages while feeding their baby. It may seem small, but for a child, these interruptions can chip away at their sense of being seen, heard, and valued. Young children don’t just need to be cared for; they need to feel emotionally connected. Screens can’t offer that connection—only human presence can. Secure attachment forms through micro-moments: eye contact, soothing words, shared laughter. These are the interactions that teach a child, “You matter. You’re safe. You are loved.” 4. Reclaiming Childhood Childhood isn’t a race. It’s not a performance. It’s a sacred time of wonder, curiosity, and discovery. Reclaiming it in the digital age means having the courage to say: It’s not about banning technology but about making intentional choices. Let’s model presence. Let’s protect time for play, connection, and creativity. Let’s remember that the best “app” for a young child is a present adult. A Final Thought Our children are growing up in a digital world, and that isn’t going to change. But the way we introduce and balance technology can change. Let’s start early. Let’s be thoughtful. Let’s reclaim childhood—not just for our kids, but for ourselves too. Need a little extra support?Download my ‘Navigating the Digital Jungle. A Parents’ Guide to Manage Toddlers and Tech with Scripts to feel more confident, connected, and calm—one moment at a time. Let’s start a conversation.How are you managing tantrums and tech at home or in your setting?
How Screen Time Affects Toddlers’ Ability to Learn to Talk
New Study Reveals Screen Time’s Impact on Toddlers’ Language Development: Fewer Words, Fewer Conversations A groundbreaking study has uncovered that for every minute of screen time toddlers are exposed to at home, they hear significantly fewer adult words, make fewer vocalizations, and engage in fewer back-and-forth conversations with their parents. These findings shed new light on the critical relationship between technology use and early language development in children. Led by Dr. Mary Brushe, Senior Research Officer at The Kids Research Institute Australia, the study tracked 220 Australian families over a two-and-a-half-year period to explore the effects of family screen use on toddlers’ language environments. This first-of-its-kind research, conducted as part of Dr. Brushe’s PhD with the University of Adelaide, provides important insights into how excessive screen time can interfere with critical developmental milestones in young children. Using cutting-edge, Fitbit-like devices, researchers monitored the amount of electronic noise and parent-child communication surrounding children aged 12 to 36 months. This included tracking sounds generated by screens being used by both parents and children, allowing researchers to gather precise data on how technology influences early speech and language development. In total, more than 7,000 hours of audio were analyzed to determine how much screen time toddlers were exposed to versus other types of electronic noise in their environment. The results were clear: the more screen time toddlers experienced, the fewer opportunities they had for meaningful interactions with their caregivers—interactions that are vital for learning to talk. “We set out to understand how screen time impacts children during the early years when language development is most critical. This study shows that screen exposure may be hindering the amount of language these toddlers hear and engage with in their homes,” said Dr. Brushe. The findings, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, highlight the concerning effects of what researchers call ‘technoference.’ Technoference refers to the way in which technology, particularly screen use, disrupts parent-child interactions, creating fewer opportunities for verbal exchanges that foster language development. The impact of screen time was most pronounced in children around 36 months of age. According to the study, just one minute of screen time led to a reduction of seven adult words, five fewer child vocalizations, and one less conversational turn. For toddlers exposed to one hour of screen time each day, this amounts to missing out on roughly 397 adult words, 294 child vocalizations, and 68 conversation turns every single day. Disturbingly, the average screen time for toddlers in the study at 36 months was 172 minutes per day—nearly three hours. This means these children could be missing out on an estimated 1,139 adult words, 843 vocalizations, and 194 conversational turns per day. The implications for their language development are profound. Dr. Brushe emphasized that these figures may actually underestimate the problem, as they do not account for silent screen activities by parents, such as texting, checking emails, or scrolling through social media. “If anything, we’ve probably underestimated how much screen usage—and the associated technoference—is happening around young children,” she added. The study underscores the importance of reducing screen time, not just for toddlers but for parents as well, to ensure that children are exposed to rich language experiences in their early years. Numerous studies, including this one, have shown that early language development is directly linked to future academic success, social skills, and cognitive abilities. What Can Parents Do? Parents can take simple but effective steps to limit screen time and foster language development in their toddlers: The study, a collaboration between the University of Adelaide, the University of Oxford, and the Menzies Health Institute at Griffith University, offers a timely reminder that screen time should be carefully managed during a child’s early years to prevent it from replacing essential opportunities for language development. You can read the full study in JAMA Pediatrics.
