Caregivers’ screen time could impact babies’ language development

In brief:

• Children ages 8 to 25 months are exposed to an average of 4.6 hours of indirect media exposure each day.
• Indirect media exposure can be a distraction during a key time of vocabulary development.
• Parents and caregivers are encouraged to be mindful of having the TV on in the background or using other digital devices when around young children.

SMU psychology researchers found that indirect audio or visual media exposure was prevalent in homes during a key stage of vocabulary development for babies ages 8 to 25 months. In surveys with caregivers, researchers found babies were exposed to an average of 4.6 hours of indirect visual or audio media each day from media used by others around them.

“Playtime is the classic time for babies to learn and explore,” says researcher Sarah Kucker, associate professor of psychology and founder of SMU’s Kids in Development Lab (KID). “When the television or other digital devices are in use in the background, it can reduce opportunities for the hands-on, rich interactions that we know are critical in early childhood.”

The research, “Screen Time Is More than Just the Screen: Indirect Media Exposure Dominates Infants’ Digital Environments,” was recently published in Infancy and co-authored by UCLA researcher Julie M. Schneider.

To date, most research has focused on infants’ direct use of digital devices, but little is known about infants’ and toddlers’ exposure to indirect media, Kucker says. To address that gap, researchers surveyed 252 socioeconomically diverse caregivers of children 8 to 25 months about their child’s media exposure, including how much digital media was used in the home, what kinds were used, when and by whom.

The study found that the primary source of infant media exposure is indirect, meaning media used by others around them rather than by infants themselves. Indirect media exposure was also significantly more common on weekends. Researchers also found that auditory distractions, such as hearing the television in the background, often occurred during mealtimes, which likely reduces opportunities to talk and interact. Visual distractions typically occurred during playtime, Kucker says.

In addition, the study found that children from lower-income households had higher levels of indirect exposure to background media and caregiver cell phone use than families from higher-income households. Kucker and Schneider indicate, however, that these patterns are likely related to a number of broader structural conditions that shape daily life, including access to material resources, time and bandwidth, housing density, childcare availability and caregiver stress and well-being.

Kucker emphasizes that the results of this research are not intended to add to parents’ stress or to suggest that caregivers should never use digital devices or watch television. Instead, she reminds parents and caregivers to be mindful about having the television on or using the phone or other devices when around young children.

“Some types of media can be lower in quality and harder for children to learn from than human interaction,” Kucker says. “The early months are a critical window for language development and time children do not get back later.”