Mobile Device Screen Time and Language Development Among Toddlers: Results From a Large-scale Survey

• In Event: Implications of digital technologies for children's learning and development

Abstract

Background: Despite young children’s widespread use of mobile devices, little research exists on this use and its association with children’s language development. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between mobile device screen time and language comprehension and expressive language skills. Furthermore, an aim was to examine whether factors related to the domestic learning environment modify the associations. Methods: Data come from the Danish large-scale survey ‘TRACES – Children’s development and wellbeing throughout life’. The analyses were based on cross-sectional data from 31.125 two- and three-year-old children. Child mobile device screen time was measured based on parent-report. Language comprehension and expressive language skills was measured by items from two subscales from the FTF-Toddlers questionnaire. Being at risk of having language comprehension difficulties and expressive language skills difficulties, respectively, was defined as scoring above the 90th percentile of the scale in question. Potential modifying factors related to the domestic learning environment were: parental education, frequency of reading to the child and child screen time spend on TV/PC. Analyses were conducted using multivariable logistic regression. Test for effect modification defined as departure from additivity was conducted using Rothman’s method for creating interaction terms. Synergy indexes were calculated. Results: Child mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day was significantly associated with with language comprehension difficulties and expressive language skills difficulties (see table 1). For children with more than two hours the OR for language comprehension difficulties was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.08-1.88) and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.10-1.93) for expressive language skills difficulties. Test for effect modification by infrequent reading supported departure from additivity with the OR of combined exposure of high mobile device screen time and infrequent reading being more than additive. No modifying effect on expressive language difficulties was found. Neither did parental education nor child screen time on TV/PC modify the association between mobile device screen time and language comprehension difficulties and expressive language skills difficulties. Conclusion: Child mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day was significantly associated with language development. The results also suggest that reading to the child has a buffering effect on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties. Further research using longitudinal data is needed in order to determine the causality of this study’s findings. Still, the results suggest the potential risks of providing young children with mobile devices to a degree that it may negatively affect their language development.

Authors

• Signe Boe Rayce, VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research
  Presenting Author

• Gunhild Tidemann Okholm, University of Copenhagen

• Trine Flensborg-Madsen, University of Copenhagen