Screen time in early childhood linked to poorer academic performance, study finds
Children who spend more time viewing screens during early childhood tend to perform less well academically several years later, according to an international research study.
The research followed more than 500 children in Singapore from the age of one to eight years. It then assessed their academic performance at age nine and working memory at age 10.5. The study is one of the longest-running of its kind.
The findings come as international guidance continues to recommend limiting screen time for young children. This is because the early years are a critical period for brain development and the formation of lifelong habits.
Researchers have published their results in the World Journal of Pediatrics.
Early screen impacts
The strongest links were seen between higher screen viewing at around one year of age and poorer academic performance and working memory in later childhood. This suggests that infancy may represent a particularly sensitive period for brain development.
The study also found that greater cumulative screen viewing across childhood was associated with poorer academic performance.
The associations remained even after researchers accounted for certain factors. These included parental education, household income and the home environment.
Professor Keith Godfrey from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Southampton was one of the study’s authors. He said:
“Parents are sometimes faced with conflicting advice about screen time. One of the strengths of this study is that it followed children over many years. This allowed us to understand whether there are particular stages of development when screen viewing may have the greatest impact.
“Our findings suggest the earliest years of life may represent a particularly important window for establishing healthy screen habits.
“This doesn’t mean parents should panic or eliminate screens altogether, but it does reinforce existing guidance that, particularly for babies and toddlers, less screen time is better.”
Prof Godfrey collaborated on the study through Southampton’s long-standing partnership with the Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) programme. This is helping generate evidence that could inform future public health guidance on children’s screen use.
Healthy digital childhoods
Parents reported their children’s daily screen viewing at six points between the ages of one and eight years. Trained psychologists later assessed academic performance and working memory using internationally recognised cognitive assessments.
The researchers emphasised that the differences seen for individual children were modest. However, because screen viewing is now so widespread, even small shifts across a population could have important implications for children’s education and long-term health.
Prof Godfrey also stressed that the findings should be interpreted in context and are not a reason to remove screens from children’s lives altogether.
“It’s important to recognise that this study looked at the amount of time children spent viewing screens, rather than what they were watching or whether parents or carers were engaging with them during screen use,” he explained.
“Digital technology is now part of everyday family life and can bring benefits when used appropriately.
“Our findings aren’t about removing screens altogether, but about recognising that the earliest years are a particularly important period for brain development.
“By limiting unnecessary screen time while encouraging activities such as talking, reading and playing together, parents can help give children the best start.”
The findings are consistent with existing World Health Organization guidance. This recommends no sedentary screen time for children under two years of age and no more than one hour a day for children aged two to four.
The researchers say the findings reinforce the importance of establishing healthy screen habits from infancy, while encouraging activities such as talking, reading and playing together.