As many of you who follow us know, at The White Hatter, we rely on solid, evidence-based research to guide our advice to parents and caregivers on how young people should use technology and the internet.
In the past, we’ve talked about how using technology as a “digital pacifier” for children under 6 can have negative effects on their emotional development. (1)(2) Now, new research has been published looking at how technology impacts children’s cognitive development, particularly when it comes to vocabulary learning – and the findings might surprise you.
As a parent, you’re likely concerned about how screen use impacts your child’s development, especially when it comes to their language skills. While screen media use can be a complicated topic, some new 2024 research helps shed some light on how it can affect vocabulary growth in children of different ages. (3) Here’s what you need to know.
Age Matters
This new research found that the relationship between screen use and vocabulary growth becomes more significant as children grow older. In younger children, especially those under 3 years old, screen media seems to have a smaller effect on learning new words. However, for children aged 36 months and older, the influence of screen media on vocabulary is much stronger.
This means that while infants and toddlers may not benefit as much from screens, preschool-aged children might gain more, especially from media that is specifically designed to be educational.
The ‘Opportunity Cost’ Myth
You might have heard the idea that screen use reduces your child’s ability to learn because it takes away from important social interactions or language-rich activities like reading. However, this research challenges that belief. The study found that screen use did not have a negative effect on vocabulary, even when children were exposed to media that wasn’t explicitly educational. In fact, exposure to regular TV shows or videos wasn’t linked to a decrease in vocabulary.
In other words, screen use doesn’t necessarily take away from your child’s opportunity to learn language—depending on the content.
Quality Over Quantity
When it comes to the impact of screen use on learning, it’s not about how much your child watches, but what they’re watching. Content that is designed to educate can support vocabulary growth and help children learn new words. As we have been saying for years now – it’s not about how much time our kids are spending online, it’s what they are doing with that time that is more important to understand.
E-Books Are a Winner
The research found that among the different types of screen media, e-books seem to have a particularly positive impact on vocabulary. Research shows that e-books are more beneficial for learning new words compared to TV, videos, or even some apps. In fact, e-books were found to be more effective than traditional print books for helping preschool and elementary-aged children develop their vocabulary and understand stories.
Here’s a direct quote from this research article:
“We found no evidence of a systematic negative association between screen media exposure and vocabulary, as would be expected if screen media invariably displace more educationally valuable activities for vocabulary learning. Rather, findings from this study demonstrate an overall positive relation between screen media exposure and vocabulary in children ages 6 years and under. This was true even for samples with an average age below 36 months, although screen media effects were larger for samples of older children. Moreover, the distinct effect sizes derived from experimental and correlational studies suggest the need for caution when extending results to naturalistic settings, particularly in the absence of adult involvement.”
While screen use is often a concern, the evidence suggests that not all screen use is harmful. For younger children, it’s important to limit screen use and focus on interaction-based learning. But for older children, particularly those in preschool, high-quality educational content or e-books can actually support their language development. The key is ensuring that the content is parent lead, engaging, educational, and age-appropriate!
This research does not provide a green light to unlimited and unmediated screen use, rather it speaks to small chunks of specific task-oriented use of technology. By focusing on quality rather than quantity, you can turn screen use into an opportunity for learning and vocabulary growth in today’s onlife world.
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References:
3/ https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13927
