- Dec 20, 2019
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Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
TV rots your brain.
We’ve all heard some iteration of that phrase before. And it turns out, it may be true—and, to some extent, perpetuated by parents.
But “rots” isn’t the best verb to use. A better word might be “molds” or “shapes.” And while those verbs may sound better, they functionally get to the same point: that excessive screen time can alter how your brain works.
This should make sense, especially when we talk about developing brains. Like how our taste buds change to adapt to our diets, our brains grow in response to stimuli in our environment, an ability called neuroplasticity. And while neuroplasticity of one’s brain generally decreases with age, it never truly stops, even into old age.
What this ultimately means is that the risk of entertainment changing the way your brain works lessens with every trip around the sun you make. But it also means that, since babies and young children have the highest levels of neuroplasticity, they have the most malleable brains.
In this article, we’ll examine studies that look at the correlation between screen time and brain development at those youngest ages in order to help you, as a parent, understand how you can best help your child’s brain growth. As you read the research below, consider whether the data might be helpful in raising your children in a digital age.
Let’s start off with the age bracket with the highest rate of neuroplasticity: Kids between the ages of 0 and 2. At this age, countless studies find a positive correlation between excessive screen time and delayed development.
One study analyzed the correlation between screen time and developmental patterns in 400 children. The study found a correlation between the amount of time babies spent with screens and the frequency of “slower-frequency brain waves, known as theta waves, compared with high-frequency beta waves,” which one researcher explained indicated a less-alert state associated with inattention. Researchers then revisited the children when they had turned nine, and they found a connection between amount of screen time and difficulties with attention and executive functioning (though it conceded that screen time is probably not the only factor influencing such results).
Many studies have likewise looked into the value of “baby media,” television shows made with the intent to teach sub-24-month-old children educational concepts like language development and learning. And despite the educational objective, many studies have found that the shows can actually have the opposite effect.
In his book Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age, Dr. Carl D. Marci summarized the findings of one study looking into media made with such objectives: “The data showed that each hour of video content infants (age 8-18 months) watched per day was associated with a significant decrease in language acquisition. Not only were infants not learning language at a faster rate, but the evidence suggested that they were falling behind.”
In another study, researchers found that children between the ages of 12-to-18 months who had been taught a set of common household vocabulary words via a parent’s instruction were more likely to retain them than those who had been taught the same words via an educational video—regardless of if a parent had watched through the video with them.
In a report, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that families should “avoid digital media use (except video-chatting) in children younger than 18 to 24 months,” and, when starting to introduce digital media afterwards, “choose high-quality programming and use media together with your child.” The article cites multiple studies, all of which indicate “associations between excessive television viewing in early childhood and cognitive, language, and social/emotional delays.” However, the report also says that excessive television usage is likewise connected to lower rates of parent-child interaction—a factor which may also influence child development.
In summary, research overwhelmingly finds that screen time, even if it is educational in nature, negatively impacts infant and toddler development.
For children 2-5 years old, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents limit screen time to 1 hour per day of “high-quality programming.” It also encourages parents to watch alongside their children so that they can help the child comprehend and apply what they’re watching.
Toddlers are equipped to handle a modicum of screen time whereas infants cannot. Marci, in Rewired, explains that babies have something he calls a “video-transfer deficit,” wherein their brains simply cannot translate what they see on a screen into meaningful information. But by the time they’re around 3 years old, that deficit fades away, leaving kids absorbing and digesting content.
This comes with its own troubles—the most apparent of which is not all content is worth absorbing. But excessive screen time can interfere with a critical skill children learn around this time: reading.
Watching a screen, inherently, takes away a child’s time to read. And when much of that video content is easy to ingest, and it’s both instantly gratifying and immediately entertaining, it can encourage a kid to choose the TV or a tablet over a book every time. But studies also warn that too much screen time can affect the brain’s ability to read in general, too: one study finds a negative link between amount of screen time and “executive functioning, sensorimotor development, and academic outcomes.” Another study “found an association between increased screen-based media use […] and lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter tracts support language and emergent literary skills in prekindergarten children.”
I understand that all the studies linked in this article can honestly feel a bit discouraging. Parenting is hard, and a bunch of researchers expressing how an admittedly helpful distraction could be detrimental isn’t exactly a cup of cool water.
But parent, remember that these studies aren’t meant to depress but to equip—and the advice they give isn’t to condemn but to assist. These studies are like the ingredients in a cookbook recipe. When a recipe tells you to add a certain amount of garlic powder to a dish, you won’t ruin the food by adding a little more or less than what the cookbook says. There’s grace in adding or subtracting that extra amount of spice—it’ll most likely taste the same. But if you completely ignore the recipe and start dumping in double or triple what it says, well, that’s when the trouble starts.
For those who would like support on how to practice some of the things referenced in this article, check out our many resources at Focus on the Family, including ways to cut down on screen time and our Age & Stage resources specifically focused on helping you navigate parenthood, no matter what age your child is.
The post Studies Reveal How Screen Time Affects Developing Minds appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
TV rots your brain.
We’ve all heard some iteration of that phrase before. And it turns out, it may be true—and, to some extent, perpetuated by parents.
But “rots” isn’t the best verb to use. A better word might be “molds” or “shapes.” And while those verbs may sound better, they functionally get to the same point: that excessive screen time can alter how your brain works.
This should make sense, especially when we talk about developing brains. Like how our taste buds change to adapt to our diets, our brains grow in response to stimuli in our environment, an ability called neuroplasticity. And while neuroplasticity of one’s brain generally decreases with age, it never truly stops, even into old age.
What this ultimately means is that the risk of entertainment changing the way your brain works lessens with every trip around the sun you make. But it also means that, since babies and young children have the highest levels of neuroplasticity, they have the most malleable brains.
In this article, we’ll examine studies that look at the correlation between screen time and brain development at those youngest ages in order to help you, as a parent, understand how you can best help your child’s brain growth. As you read the research below, consider whether the data might be helpful in raising your children in a digital age.
Infancy and toddlers
Let’s start off with the age bracket with the highest rate of neuroplasticity: Kids between the ages of 0 and 2. At this age, countless studies find a positive correlation between excessive screen time and delayed development.
One study analyzed the correlation between screen time and developmental patterns in 400 children. The study found a correlation between the amount of time babies spent with screens and the frequency of “slower-frequency brain waves, known as theta waves, compared with high-frequency beta waves,” which one researcher explained indicated a less-alert state associated with inattention. Researchers then revisited the children when they had turned nine, and they found a connection between amount of screen time and difficulties with attention and executive functioning (though it conceded that screen time is probably not the only factor influencing such results).
Many studies have likewise looked into the value of “baby media,” television shows made with the intent to teach sub-24-month-old children educational concepts like language development and learning. And despite the educational objective, many studies have found that the shows can actually have the opposite effect.
In his book Rewired: Protecting Your Brain in the Digital Age, Dr. Carl D. Marci summarized the findings of one study looking into media made with such objectives: “The data showed that each hour of video content infants (age 8-18 months) watched per day was associated with a significant decrease in language acquisition. Not only were infants not learning language at a faster rate, but the evidence suggested that they were falling behind.”
In another study, researchers found that children between the ages of 12-to-18 months who had been taught a set of common household vocabulary words via a parent’s instruction were more likely to retain them than those who had been taught the same words via an educational video—regardless of if a parent had watched through the video with them.
In a report, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that families should “avoid digital media use (except video-chatting) in children younger than 18 to 24 months,” and, when starting to introduce digital media afterwards, “choose high-quality programming and use media together with your child.” The article cites multiple studies, all of which indicate “associations between excessive television viewing in early childhood and cognitive, language, and social/emotional delays.” However, the report also says that excessive television usage is likewise connected to lower rates of parent-child interaction—a factor which may also influence child development.
In summary, research overwhelmingly finds that screen time, even if it is educational in nature, negatively impacts infant and toddler development.
Early childhood
For children 2-5 years old, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents limit screen time to 1 hour per day of “high-quality programming.” It also encourages parents to watch alongside their children so that they can help the child comprehend and apply what they’re watching.
Toddlers are equipped to handle a modicum of screen time whereas infants cannot. Marci, in Rewired, explains that babies have something he calls a “video-transfer deficit,” wherein their brains simply cannot translate what they see on a screen into meaningful information. But by the time they’re around 3 years old, that deficit fades away, leaving kids absorbing and digesting content.
This comes with its own troubles—the most apparent of which is not all content is worth absorbing. But excessive screen time can interfere with a critical skill children learn around this time: reading.
Watching a screen, inherently, takes away a child’s time to read. And when much of that video content is easy to ingest, and it’s both instantly gratifying and immediately entertaining, it can encourage a kid to choose the TV or a tablet over a book every time. But studies also warn that too much screen time can affect the brain’s ability to read in general, too: one study finds a negative link between amount of screen time and “executive functioning, sensorimotor development, and academic outcomes.” Another study “found an association between increased screen-based media use […] and lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter tracts support language and emergent literary skills in prekindergarten children.”
A word of comfort
I understand that all the studies linked in this article can honestly feel a bit discouraging. Parenting is hard, and a bunch of researchers expressing how an admittedly helpful distraction could be detrimental isn’t exactly a cup of cool water.
But parent, remember that these studies aren’t meant to depress but to equip—and the advice they give isn’t to condemn but to assist. These studies are like the ingredients in a cookbook recipe. When a recipe tells you to add a certain amount of garlic powder to a dish, you won’t ruin the food by adding a little more or less than what the cookbook says. There’s grace in adding or subtracting that extra amount of spice—it’ll most likely taste the same. But if you completely ignore the recipe and start dumping in double or triple what it says, well, that’s when the trouble starts.
For those who would like support on how to practice some of the things referenced in this article, check out our many resources at Focus on the Family, including ways to cut down on screen time and our Age & Stage resources specifically focused on helping you navigate parenthood, no matter what age your child is.
The post Studies Reveal How Screen Time Affects Developing Minds appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...
