CV NEWS FEED // A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that tablet use wrecks the emotional regulation of toddlers.
The temptation to use tablets as a kind of digital pacifier is overwhelming. Why attempt to negotiate good behavior at the doctor’s office, endure screams at restaurants, or attempt to keep children from licking the armrests on public transportation? It is so much easier to hand the child a tablet.
The study from JAMA, however, showed that children at ages 3.5 years and 4.5 years who used tablets were more prone to anger and frustration a year later.
“These results suggest that early-childhood tablet use may contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation,” the study concludes.
To many, this conclusion is not shocking.
“IPad babies,” as they have come to be called, are not a new phenomenon, nor is this most recent JAMA report the first of its kind.
In 2019, the World Health Organization reported that sedentary screen time is having a negative impact on children’s sleep, and therefore their health. Sedentary time is necessary in early development, but reading, puzzles, or other quiet activities encourage child development rather than hinder it.
Another JAMA study published in 2023 and involving over 7,000 mother and child pairs found that children suffered communication delays when they were exposed to a screen before the age of 1. The Hanen Center reported: “For each additional hour of videos that eight- to 16-month-old infants watched in a day, they said an average of six to eight fewer words.”
JAMA also reported a negative effect on problem-solving in children who use screens at a young age. This report on poor communication and problem-solving, in addition to the most recent report on emotional regulation, reveals the extreme disservice society is doing to iPad kids.
Screens, it is clear, are a poisoned pacifier.
