A recent study by Mary Brushe and colleagues, conducted in Australia, examined the impact of screen time on parent-child conversations in children aged 12 to 36 months. The study used advanced speech recognition technology to measure the number of words spoken, child vocalizations, and conversations or rounds of conversation within households. The results show that more screen time was linked to fewer essential interactions.
For every additional minute of screen time, a child heard an average of 6.6 fewer words from adults, produced 4.9 fewer vocalizations, and had 1.1 fewer rounds of conversation. This effect was most substantial in children aged 36 months. The researchers emphasize the importance of a language-rich environment for early development but argue that technology disrupts these interactions, a phenomenon they call “technoference.”
While these findings are important, we must be cautious about interpreting them. Correlation does not necessarily mean causation. For example, it is possible that families with higher screen time also have other factors that influence parent-child interactions, such as stress or lack of time. The study considered some of these factors, such as the psychological stress of the primary caregiver, but cannot rule out that other unknown variables play a role.
These results highlight the need for conscious choices regarding screen time. Replacing screen time with shared activities can contribute to a language-rich environment essential for children’s development. Interventions should focus on reducing screen time and promoting quality interactions, such as using screens together in an interactive way.
This study calls for further study into integrating technology into a family life that supports young children’s language development. Screens do not always have to be harmful, but how we use them makes a big difference.
Abstract of the study:
IMPORTANCE: Growing up in a language-rich home environment is important for children’s language development in the early years. The concept of “technoference” (technology-based interference) suggests that screen time may be interfering with opportunities for talk and interactions between parent and child; however, limited longitudinal evidence exists exploring this association.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the longitudinal association between screen time and 3 measures of parent-child talk (adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns) when children are 12 to 36 months of age.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This Australian prospective cohort study used advanced speech recognition technology to capture young children’s screen time and home language environment, on an average 16-hour day. Data were collected from 220 families once every 6 months in the family home when children were 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age, from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Statistical analysis took place from November 1, 2022, to July 31, 2023.
EXPOSURE Language Environment Analysis (LENA) technology provided automated counts of children’s language environment and exposure to electronic noise. The exposure of interest was screen time, which was calculated based on manual coding of LENA electronic noise audio segments. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Three measures of parent-child talk were outcomes of focus: adult words, child vocalizations, and conversational turns. Separate models were run for each of the 3 outcomes and included adjustment for child sex, child age, maternal educational level, number of children at home, number of home activities, and primary caregiver’s psychological distress.
RESULTS The study included 220 families (120 girls [54.6%]; mean [SD] gestational age of children, 39.3 [1.5] weeks; mean [SD] age of mother at childbirth, 31.3 [4.8] years). Adjusted linear mixed-effect models demonstrated that increases in screen time were associated with decreases in measures of parent-child talk. The largest decreases were seen at 36 months, when an additional minute of screen time was associated with a reduction of 6.6 (95% CI, −11.7 to −1.5) adult words, 4.9 (95% CI, −6.1 to −3.7) child vocalizations, and 1.1 (95% CI, −1.4 to −0.8) conversational turns.
CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE Findings of this study support the notion of technoference for Australian families, whereby young children’s exposure to screen time is interfering with opportunities to talk and interact in their home environment. This finding has implications for interventions and supports aimed at promoting a language-rich home environment, with families needing support in understanding the potential association of screen time with opportunities for children and adults to talk and interact in their home environment.