The influence of ‘smartphone age’ on cognitive development in one-year-old infants

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Children use digital screen media earlier and in increasing proportions, which may have a direct and indirect impact on cognitive and social-emotional development. Most of the prior studies have examined the use of digital devices by young children by parental self-reports, while little research has been conducted that has directly assessed the effects in children’s abilities. Our aim was, here, to investigate the impact of the early use of digital devices (television, mobile and tablet) in one-year-old children on their overall developmental indicators and those cognitive abilities that are good predictors of later social-cognitive development. In the present study we assessed habits and attitudes of families’ (N=250, subsample of Hungarian Cohort’18) digital device use, and examined children’s motor, cognitive, and social-emotional abilities assessed by developmental screening test (ASQ 3) and task-based experimentation methods (inhibition, working memory, attention). The results showed that passive TV viewing and passive use of mobile devices became more prevalent among children as early as one year of age, that is highly correlated with parental smartphone usage habits and attitudes. Among the developmental indicators, the fields of gross and fine motor development, problem solving, attention and inhibition show a relationship with early digital media use patterns. Taken together, these empirical findings contribute to the understanding of the developmental impact of early digital device use and to the development of paediatric recommendations and policies.

Author

• Beatrix Labadi, Univesity of Pecs
  Presenting Author