Is screen exposure beneficial or detrimental to language development in infants and toddlers? A meta-analysis

References

• National Institutes of Health. (2021, July). Study quality assessment tools. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/study-quality-assessment-tools
   Google Scholar
• Adelantado-Renau, M., Moliner-Urdiales, D., Cavero-Redondo, I., Beltran-Valls, M. R., Martínez-Vizcaíno, V., & Lvarez-Bueno, C. (2019). Association between screen media use and academic performance among children and adolescents. Jama Pediatrics, 173(11), 1058–1067.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Alloway, T. P., Williams, S., Jones, B., & Cochrane, F. (2014). Exploring the impact of television watching on vocabulary skills in toddlers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(5), 343–349.
   Google Scholar
• Alroqi, H., Serratrice, L., & Cameron-Faulkner, T. (2023). The association between screen media quantity, content, and context and language development. Journal of Child Language, 50(5), 1155–1183.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). American academy of pediatrics announces new recommendations for children’s media use. Retrieved November 20, 2023, from https://services.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2016/aap-announces-new-recommendations-for-media-use/
   Google Scholar
• Anderson, D. R., & Pempek, T. A. (2005). Television and very young children. American Behavioral Scientist, 48, 505–522.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Barr, R., Lauricella, A., Zack, E., & Calvert, S. L. (2010). Infant and early childhood exposure to adult-directed and child-directed television programming: Relations with cognitive skills at age four. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 56(1), 21–48. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23098082.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Begg, C. B., & Mazumdar, M. (1994). Operating characteristics of a rank correlation test for publication bias. Biometrics, 50(4), 1088–1101.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bergmann, C., Dimitrova, N., Alaslani, K., Almohammadi, A., Alroqi, H., Aussems, S., … Mani, N. (2022). Young children’s screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 12 countries. Scientific Reports, 12, 2015.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Bittman, M., Rutherford, L., Brown, J., & Unsworth, L. (2011). Digital natives? New and old media and children’s outcomes. Australian Journal of Education, 55(2), 161–175.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Borenstein, M., Hedges, L., Higgins, J., & Rothstein, H. (2013). Comprehensive metaanalysis (CMA) version 3.0. Englewood: Biostat.
   Google Scholar
• Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington: National Academy Press.
   Google Scholar
• Byeon, H., & Hong, S. (2015). Relationship between television viewing and language delay in toddlers: Evidence from a Korea national cross-sectional survey. PLoS One, 10(3), e0120663.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Chonchaiya, W., & Pruksananonda, C. (2008). Television viewing associates with delayed language development. Acta Paediatrica, 97, 977–982.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Christakis, D. A. (2009). The effects of infant media usage: What do we know and what should we learn? Acta Paediatrica, 98(1), 8–16.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Christakis, D. A., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Zimmerman, F. J., Garrison, M. M., Xu, D., … Yapanel, U. (2009). Audible television and decreased adult words, infant vocalizations, and conversational turns. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(6), 554–558.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Connell, S. L., Lauricella, A. R., & Wartella, E. (2015). Parental co-use of media technology with their young children in the USA. Journal of Children and Media, 9(1), 5–21.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Duch, H., Fisher, E. M., Ensari, I., Font, M., Harrington, A., Taromino, C., … Rodriguez, C. (2013). Association of screen time use and language development in hispanic toddlers. Clinical Pediatrics, 52(9), 857–865.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Duval, S., & Tweedie, R. (2000). Trim and fill: A simple funnel-plot–based method of testing and adjusting for publication bias in meta-analysis. Biometrics, 56(2), 455–463.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Dynia, J. M., Dore, R. A., Bates, R. A., & Justice, L. M. (2021). Media exposure and language for toddlers from low-income homes. Infant Behavior and Development, 63, 101542.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Eirich, R., Mcarthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Mcguinness, C., Christakis, D. A., & Madigan, S. (2022). Association of screen time with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in children 12 years or younger. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(5), 393–405.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Farias, E. (2010). The relationship of television viewing at home and toddlers’ language skills. Reno: University of Nevada.
   Google Scholar
• Ferguson, C. J., & Donnellan, M. B. (2014). Is the association between children’s baby video viewing and poor language development robust? A reanalysis of Zimmerman, Christakis, and Meltzoff (2007). Developmental Psychology, 50(1), 129–137.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Golinkoff, R. M., Hoff, E., Rowe, M. L., Tamis-Lemonda, C. S., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2019). Language matters: Denying the existence of the 30-million-word gap has serious consequences. Child Development, 90(3), 985–992.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Goodrich, S. A., Pempek, T. A., & Calvert, S. L. (2009). Formal production features of infant and toddler DVDs. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(12), 1151–1156.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Hudon, T. M., Fennell, C. T., & Hoftyzer, M. (2013). Quality not quantity of television viewing is associated with bilingual toddlers’ vocabulary scores. Infant Behavior and Development, 36(2), 245–254.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Huedo-Medina, T. B., Sánchez-Meca, J., Marín-Martínez, F., & Botella, J. (2006). Assessing heterogeneity in meta-analysis: Q statistic or I² index? Psychological Methods, 11(2), 193–206.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Huttenlocher, J., Waterfall, H., Vasilyeva, M., Vevea, J., & Hedges, L. V. (2010). Sources of variability in children’s language growth. Cognitive Psychology, 61(4), 343–365.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Jing, M., Ye, T., Kirkorian, H. L., & Mares, M.-L. (2023). Screen media exposure and young children's vocabulary learning and development: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 94(5), 1398–1418.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kenny, D. A. (1987). Statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. London: Longman.
   Google Scholar
• Krcmar, M., Grela, B., & Lin, K. (2007). Can toddlers learn vocabulary from television? An experimental approach. Media Psychology, 10(1), 41–63.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Li, C., Cheng, G., Sha, T., Cheng, W., & Yan, Y. (2020). The relationships between screen use and health indicators among infants, toddlers, and preschoolers: A meta-analysis and systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7324.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lin, L.-Y., Cherng, R.-J., Chen, Y.-J., Chen, Y.-J., & Yang, H.-M. (2015). Effects of television exposure on developmental skills among young children. Infant Behavior and Development, 38, 20–26.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Linebarger, D. L., & Walker, D. (2005). Infants’ and toddlers’ television viewing and language outcomes. American Behavioral Scientist, 48(5), 624–645.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Madigan, S., Mcarthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Eirich, R., & Christakis, D. A. (2020a). Associations between screen use and child language skills. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(7), 665–675.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Madigan, S., Racine, N., & Tough, S. (2020b). Prevalence of preschoolers meeting vs exceeding screen time guidelines. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(1), 93–95.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Masur, E. F., Flynn, V., & Olson, J. (2016). Infants’ background television exposure during play: Negative relations to the quantity and quality of mothers’ speech and infants’ vocabulary acquisition. First Language, 36(2), 109–123.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• McHarg, G., Ribner, A. D., Devine, R. T., & Hughes, C. (2020). Screen time and executive function in toddlerhood: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 570392.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Medawar, J., Tabullo, ÁJ, & Gago-Galvagno, L. G. (2023). Early language outcomes in Argentinean toddlers: Associations with home literacy, screen exposure and joint media engagement. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41(1), 13–30.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mendelsohn, A. L., Brockmeyer, C. A., Dreyer, B. P., Fierman, A. H., Berkule-Silberman, S. B., & Tomopoulos, S. (2010). Do verbal interactions with infants during electronic media exposure mitigate adverse impacts on their language development as toddlers? Infant and Child Development, 19(6), 577–593.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Nelson, K. (1973). Structure and strategy in learning to talk. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 38(1/2), 1–135.
   Google Scholar
• Okuma, K., & Tanimura, M. (2009). A preliminary study on the relationship between characteristics of TV content and delayed speech development in young children. Infant Behavior and Development, 32(3), 312–321.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Page, M. J., Moher, D., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., … McKenzie, J. E. (2021). PRISMA 2020 explanation and elaboration: Updated guidance and exemplars for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n160.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Patterson, J. L. (2002). Relationships of expressive vocabulary to frequency of Reading and television experience among bilingual toddlers. Applied Psycholinguistics, 23(4), 493–508.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Richert, R. A., Robb, M. B., Fender, J. G., & Wartella, E. (2010). Word learning from baby videos. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(5), 432–437.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Rideout, V. (2017, October 19). The common sense census: Media use by kids age zero to eight. Common sense media. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/the-common-sense-census-media-use-by-kids-age-zero-to-eight-2017
   Google Scholar
• Rivero, M., Vilaseca, R., Cantero, M.-J., Valls-Vidal, C., & Leiva, D. (2023). Relations between positive parenting behavior during play and child language development at early ages. Children, 10, 505.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Romeo, R. R., Leonard, J. A., Robinson, S. T., West, M. R., Mackey, A. P., Rowe, M. L., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2018). Beyond the 30-million-word gap: Children’s conversational exposure is associated with language-related brain function. Psychological Science, 29, 700–710.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Roseberry, S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2014). Skype me! Socially contingent interactions help toddlers learn language. Child Development, 85, 956–970.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Roseberry, S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Parish-Morris, J., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2009). Live action: Can young children learn verbs from video? Child Development, 80(5), 1360–1375.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ruangdaraganon, N., Chuthapisith, J., Mo-suwan, L., Kriweradechachai, S., Udomsubpayakul, U., & Choprapawon, C. (2009). Television viewing in Thai infants and toddlers: Impacts to language development and parental perceptions. BMC Pediatrics, 9(1), 34.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Schmidt, M. E., Rich, M., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Oken, E., & Taveras, E. M. (2009). Television viewing in infancy and child cognition at 3 years of age in a US cohort. Pediatrics, 123(3), e370–e375.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Setliff, A. E., & Courage, M. L. (2011). Background television and infants allocation of their attention during toy play. Infancy, 16, 611–639.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Sundqvist, A., Koch, F. S., Thornberg, U. B., Barr, R., & Heimann, M. (2021). Growing up in a digital world – digital media and the association with the child's language development at two years of age. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 569920.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tabullo, A. J., & Gago-Galvagno, L. G. (2022). Early vocabulary size in Argentinean toddlers: Associations with home literacy and screen media exposure. Journal of Children and Media, 16(3), 352–367.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Taylor, G., Monaghan, P., & Westermann, G. (2018). Investigating the association between children’s screen media exposure and vocabulary size in the UK. Journal of Children and Media, 12(1), 51–65.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tomopoulos, S., Dreyer, B. P., Berkule, S., Fierman, A. H., Brockmeyer, C., & Mendelsohn, A. L. (2010). Infant media exposure and toddler development. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(12), 1105–1111.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• van den Heuvel, M., Ma, J., Borkhoff, C. M., Koroshegyi, C., Dai, D. W. H., Parkin, P. C., … Birken, C. S. (2019). Mobile media device use is associated with expressive language delay in 18-month-old children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 40(2), 99–104.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wan, M. W., Fitch-Bunce, C., Heron, K., & Lester, E. (2021). Infant screen media usage and social-emotional functioning. Infant Behavior and Development, 62, 101509.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• World Health Organization. (2019). Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. Retrieved November 16, 2023, from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/311664.
   Google Scholar
• Wright, J. C., Huston, A. C., Murphy, K. C., Peters, M. S., Piñon, M., Scantlin, R., & Kotler, J. (2001). The relations of early television viewing to school readiness and vocabulary of children from low-income families: The early window project. Child Development, 72(5), 1347–1366.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Yuan, N., Weeks, H. M., Ball, R., Newman, M. W., Chang, Y.-J., & Radesky, J. S. (2019). How much do parents actually use their smartphones? Pilot study comparing self-report to passive sensing. Pediatric Research, 86(4), 416–418.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zimmerman, F. J., & Christakis, D. A. (2005). Children’s television viewing and cognitive outcomes. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 159(7), 619–625.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Zimmerman, F. J., Christakis, D. A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2007). Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. The Journal of Pediatrics, 151(4), 364–368.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zimmerman, F. J., Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Christakis, D. A., Xu, D.-X., Gray, S., & Yapanel, U. (2009). Teaching by listening: The importance of adult-child conversations to language development. Pediatrics, 124(1), 342–349.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar