Exposing babies to screens can affect their cognitive development, says study

Screen time is not recommended for infants, and rightly so. A new study published in the journal, JAMA Pediatrics, reveals that infants’ engagement with phones, TV, and tablets may affect their health and academic performance later on. The study titled ‘Associations between infant screen use, electroencephalography markers, and cognitive outcomes’ has linked screen time during infancy to poor executive functioning skills when children reach school age. Executive functioning skills help us plan and meet goals, follow directions, have self-control, and focus attention on a task without getting distracted.

Electroencephalography shows the impact on cognitive development

The study was conducted among 437 children. Their mothers were participants in the population-based study, Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO). The children were subject to electroencephalography (EEG) scans at 12 months, 18 months, and then at 9 years. EEG is a powerful tool used to identify neural connections in the brain, corresponding to cognitive functions. During this time, parents also reported their children’s screen time. The results suggested that “increased screen time in infancy was associated with impairments in cognitive processes critical for health, academic achievement, and future work success.” The study, however, adds that more research needs to be done to determine whether screen time caused the impairments.

What parents can do

Researchers said that when infants were exposed to screens, they showed deficits in executive functions, due to difficulty in processing information on two-dimensional screens. Real-life social interactions aid executive function development, and when this reduces, children tend to use screens as a proxy, the study adds. Attention and interaction from parents and caregivers are crucial for infants’ social and cognitive development. There is no alternative to this. Role model healthy screen-time habits like keeping away phones at mealtimes or switching off the TV running in the background during family time.