The Vicious Cycle of Tablet Use and Emotional Development in Young Children

In today’s digital age, it's common to see young children engrossed in tablets. However, a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics sheds light on the impact that early and excessive tablet use may have on a child’s emotional development, particularly in preschoolers. The findings raise concerns about the way screen time may be affecting children's ability to regulate their emotions and manage behaviors such as anger and frustration.

The Study’s Alarming Findings

According to the research, children who spend more than 75 minutes on tablets daily by the age of 3 ½ are more likely to experience increased emotional outbursts by the time they turn 4 ½. These outbursts often manifest as anger and frustration, which in turn lead to even more screen time by the age of 5 ½. Gabrielle Garon-Carrier, an assistant professor of psychoeducation at the University of Sherbrooke and one of the lead researchers, described this trend as a “vicious cycle.” The study tracked 315 preschoolers in Nova Scotia, Canada, between 2020 and 2022, examining how increased tablet use correlated with emotional behaviors over time.

How Tablet Use Affects Emotional Regulation

The preschool years are a critical period for children to learn how to cope with emotions, especially negative ones like anger and frustration. According to Garon-Carrier, this emotional learning cannot happen effectively in front of a screen. Children need face-to-face interaction and play to recognize emotions and learn socially acceptable ways to express them. Excessive tablet use appears to delay these crucial developments.

The study shows that as children turn to tablets as a coping mechanism for difficult emotions, they miss out on opportunities to build the self-regulation skills necessary for managing those emotions on their own. In other words, they use screens to soothe themselves instead of learning how to handle their frustrations.

The Role of Parents and the Pandemic

For many parents, the pandemic brought additional stress, often leading to increased screen time as a convenient way to keep young children occupied. However, the study suggests that even as life returns to a more normal pace, this cycle of emotional dysregulation due to tablet use continues.

“It’s probably challenging for parents who have kids with destructive behaviors,” Garon-Carrier noted, acknowledging the difficulties many families face when trying to manage emotional outbursts. While it can be tempting to use tablets as a quick solution, this often exacerbates the issue by preventing children from learning to cope independently.

What Parents Can Do

The study's findings align with the World Health Organization's recommendations, which emphasize the importance of interactive play, physical activity, and good sleep for young children, rather than excessive screen time. While it’s nearly impossible to eliminate screen time entirely, researchers suggest several strategies for parents to reduce its impact:

Delay screen introduction: Limit exposure to tablets and screens for as long as possible during early childhood.
Monitor content: Be mindful of what children are watching, and consider using settings that prevent automatic play of additional videos.
Establish boundaries: Create specific rules around screen use, such as no screens during meals or before bed.
Model good behavior: Children are likely to imitate what they see, so if parents set good examples by limiting their own screen time, kids are more likely to follow suit.

A Call to Action

The findings from this study serve as a wake-up call for parents, educators, and policymakers to consider the long-term impact of excessive screen time on young children’s emotional and psychological development. While technology is a part of modern life, it's important to strike a balance that allows children to develop the emotional resilience they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

By promoting healthy screen habits and emphasizing the importance of play and interaction, we can help children build the emotional regulation skills they need to grow into well-adjusted adults.