The Digital Dilemma: Understanding the Impact of Excessive Screen Time on Young Minds

Understanding how digital media consumption can shape early childhood development.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families had to rely upon multiple devices and media content to support their families. Many of us needed technology to work from home, provide home learning for children, and stay connected with other family members. Many of us and our children suffered immensely during this time, and it is my opinion that we are still experiencing the consequences of this highly traumatic and complicated time.

As we all relied on technology heavily, it would be of no surprise for you to hear that the consumption of digital media has not decreased since the lockdown ended. Many of us continued with these habits even when the great outdoors opened up to us again. Both adults and children are still consuming a huge quantity of digital media, and I believe that this is having a subsequent impact on parental/adult interactions with children and early childhood development.

Although I grew up with little technology and had it gradually introduced to me, I still feel the detrimental impact this new digital era has had on my brain development. I expect content to be short, sharp, and quick, and I lack patience when it comes to delayed gratification. I am a 32-year-old adult… if I am finding it difficult to manage, why on earth am I expecting my young child to be able to (figuratively)?

School Readiness

As a classroom practitioner, I have seen the potential impact overconsumption of digital media is having on our children’s well-being and overall development. Year after year, our children are coming to school without the knowledge and skills (prime areas) required to cope with the demands of reception life. Skills such as accessing the toilet independently, sharing toys, basic communication and language abilities, and basic hygiene are now a thing of the past and have since become the job of the class teacher to sort. End-of-year data trends indicate that fewer children are achieving the ELGs, even with intense interventions provided by specialist teachers.

Parental Interactions

It is not just our children who are being impacted by overconsumption of digital media—our parents are also being impacted. Studies have indicated that parents who overconsume digital media are less inclined to have high-quality one-on-one interactions with their children. High-quality parent-child interactions are crucial within the first few years, as they help children acquire the basic communication and language skills needed later in life. Furthermore, studies have also shown that children can develop more behavioral problems later on due to a lack of parental interest in their lives. In other words, the more distracted a parent is, the less stimulation and support they may provide for their children.

The Knock-On Effect

Children coming from a family where high quantities of digital media are consumed are at higher risk of developing behavioral problems and developmental delays. Children who rely on digital media as their main source of comfort and entertainment do not have the opportunity to develop their own creativity, solve problems, get bored (delayed gratification), or develop good hygiene and sleep routines. These combined are a recipe for disaster—many children are being misdiagnosed with neurological disorders when, in reality, they have an addiction to technology that needs to be addressed.

Legislation Needed!

Something has to give. We are creating little humans with serious addictions to digital media. We need legislation to help us. When did a phone that can connect you to the world become a toy for children? This has to stop, and we need government legislation to help us.

Would You Open the Physical Door?

As I always remind people… would you physically open that door in real life? You have to think of these apps, games, etc., as physical doors—would you push your child through that door and leave them there unsupervised? Hopefully, the answer to that question is no.