Excessive use of smartphones in early childhood may negatively affect children’s early academic performance, a new study has found.
The findings highlight the need for developing healthy habits from a young age, the researchers noted- but they also add to a mixed body of evidence about the role of screens in modern childhood.
The study, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, has discussed young children who spent the most time on screens tended to score worse on reading and mathematics tests.
Researchers tracked over 3,000 children in Ontario, Canada, from 2008 to 2023.
They connected parent-reported screen time data to children’s performance on standardized tests in grades three and six, around ages 8 and 11.
Scientists studied how total screen time affects children’s early academic success, analyzing linkages between activities like video gaming, TV watching, and using digital devices-such as computers, smartphones, and tablets-and school performance.
Overall, children with excessive use of screen time, including TV and digital device use, showed poor academic performance in reading and math tests, according to the study findings.
Significantly, the researchers didn’t find a correlation between screen time and reduced writing skills.
Just 20% of parents reported their children played video games.
Video gaming was linked with lower reading and math scores in grade three for girls compared to boys.
Dr. Catherine Birken, the study author noted that the findings spotlight “the importance of developing early interventions for young children and their families that promote healthy screen habits."
The recent study has limitations, including potential bias in parent-reported data.
Moreover, the link between screen time and children’s academic performance is associative, not causal, indicating a connection without proving screen time directly leads to poor results.
The World Health Organization (WHO) advises limiting screen time to one hour daily for children aged two to four and recommends no screen exposure for infants under one year old.
