Parenting in our modern times has taken a different turn. Gone are the times, when most mothers were housewives and looked after multiple babies or they grew up in joint families. Nowadays, nuclear families are a norm and working mothers are more or less have become common. Balancing work at the workplace and then coming to work at home again with a baby or the mothers having one baby – with no support – spending 24/7 with a demanding baby/toddler is unimaginable. As a result, Excessive screen time has become a prevalent concern in modern parenting, especially regarding its impact on toddlers’ development.
Speech development, a crucial aspect of early childhood, can be particularly affected by prolonged exposure to screens. Because the mobile or laptop doesn’t reply back to the babies – they become used to one way conversation and don’t express anything after sometime.
To understand how excessive screen-time affects the child and hinder their speech development, OnlyMyHealth team interacted with Dr R Kishore Kumar, Paediatrician and Neonatologist at Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru. We also spoke to Dr Nihar Parekh, Paediatrician, Director, Cheers Child Care, Mumbai, regarding the impact of screen time on toddlers. Here’s an in-depth look at how excessive screen time can hinder toddlers’ speech development.
Reduced Parent-Child Interaction
According to Dr Kumar, one of the primary ways excessive screen time affects speech development is by reducing the amount of direct interaction between parents and toddlers. Face-to-face interaction is critical for language acquisition. “During these interactions, toddlers learn to recognize facial expressions, lip movements, and other non-verbal cues essential for language development. When screen time takes precedence over these interactions, toddlers miss out on these vital learning opportunities and this leads to a condition called Selective mutism lack of expressive speech,” he explained. Adding to this, Dr Parekh said, “Due to excessive screen time, toddlers fail to learn the emotions on other persons face and hence, they do not recognize empathy and fail in social interactions.”
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Limited Conversational Opportunities
Interactive conversations are important for babies to learn to speak and understand language. There are four main parts of speech development for babies as per Dr Kumar:
Good Hearing: Babies need to hear well.
Understanding: Babies need to understand what they hear. Seeing facial expressions and reactions helps a lot.
Brain Processing: Babies need to process what they hear and see in their brains.
Expressive Speech: Finally, babies start to speak themselves.
When toddlers spend a lot of time on screens, they miss out on talking with adults and other kids. This can slow down their ability to form sentences, understand context, and use language well in social situations. Conversations help toddlers learn new words, understand how to use grammar, ask questions, and express their thoughts clearly. Too much screen time can negatively impact their ability to develop these speech skills.
Passive Learning vs Active Engagement
Screen time often means toddlers are just watching and not actively participating. On this Dr Parekh said, “Because of excessive screen time, they cannot focus and perform activities for a longer period of time which hampers their learning as well as speech development.”
“For speech development, it's important for them to engage actively by answering questions, repeating words, and talking with others,” Dr Kumar said. While educational programs on screens can help, they can't replace the active learning that happens during play, reading, and direct interaction with people.
Also read: Screen Time Management For Adults: How Much Is Too Much?
Overstimulation and Attention Issues
According to Dr Nihar Parekh, too much screen time can overstimulate toddlers, making it hard for them to pay attention. Explaining, Dr Kumar said, “The bright colours, fast movements, and constant changes on screens can make it difficult for toddlers to focus on important language-learning activities.” This reduced attention span can make it harder for them to listen and respond during conversations, slowing down their speech development.
Guidelines and Recommendations
To mitigate the negative impacts of screen time on speech development, it’s essential to follow established guidelines. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends:
1. Limiting screen time: For children aged 18 to 24 months, screen time should be minimal and involve high-quality programming watched together with a parent. For children aged 2 to 5 years, screen time should be limited to one hour per day of high-quality programming.
2. Interactive and shared screen time: Engage with toddlers during screen time by asking questions, discussing the content, and encouraging them to express their thoughts.
3. Prioritising face-to-face interaction: Ensure that toddlers have plenty of opportunities for direct interaction with parents, caregivers, and peers.
4. Encouraging play and exploration: Foster an environment that promotes play and hands-on activities, which are vital for speech and language development.
5. Setting a good example: Parents should model good screen habits by balancing their own screen time and prioritising interactive family activities.
Dr Parekh advised that toddlers from the age of 0-2 should not be given screen time at all and for the kids from 2-4 years of age, only 40 minutes of screen time should be allowed. If they are allowed screen time of more than this period, all the above mentioned possibilities can reflect in your child.
Conclusion
Excessive screen time can significantly hinder toddlers’ speech development by reducing interactive opportunities, encouraging passive learning, and contributing to overstimulation and attention issues. The common problem of excessive screen time being ‘Selective mutism” affects only expressive speech but comprehension and other cognition abilities will be normal – but many people can get confused & even be labelled as autism mistakenly leading to more anxieties and concerns by the family. By understanding these impacts and following recommended guidelines, parents can help ensure their toddlers develop strong speech and language skills essential for their overall growth and future success.