As speech language pathologists, we are trained to identify signs in child development that signify developmental delays. Developmental delays tend to impact a child’s early on learning process, but the right help can aid in their improvement. We here at South Florida Speech Solutions, can help them cope with and in many cases overcome these hurdles. We can also recommend certain tips for parents to follow that will help their kid in their speech journey. Today we are going to talk about excessive screen time and how that can affect a child’s early development. 

In the year 2021, screens are literally everywhere in our lives. Our TVs, our computers, our phones - and for many younger kids, their tablets. We understand parenthood is tough and sometimes you hand a kid a tablet and let them watch a video, so you can get a few minutes of rest. We aren’t saying you don’t deserve your quiet time (you most certainly do), we just want to share what the effects long-term screen use can have on your child’s development. 

Excessive screen time has been associated with various cognitive and behavioral outcomes. Some children throw tantrums if their tablet gets taken away, others become non responsive as a form of protest until you give it back to them. It is recommended kids, especially those under the age of five, only get one hour of screen time a day. You read that right. Increased screen time exposure at 36 months of age was directly related to decreased developmental outcomes at 60 months plus. 

Let’s see what that affects:

1. Motor skills suffer because the child isn’t moving and exploring during a time their brain functions are developing properly. 

   1. Many doctors agree and say parents don’t give themselves enough credit when it comes to teaching their children. 

   2. Time spent with your kid and a little patience goes a long way and many kids develop skills with a particular subject when taught by a parent and not a screen. 

2. When interacting with a person and having face-to-face interactions a child learns how to interact with those around them verbally and nonverbally, picking up social cues along the way. 

Not to say all screen time is bad. A child can learn a lot from informative sources such as Sesame Street and other educational programming for children at that age. Some of these programs spend a considerable amount of time behind the scenes with experts, so they can find efficient ways to teach younger children. There’s a reason Big Bird and Elmo have been around for so long, and it’s not just because of the cute factor. However, it is recommended for babies, toddlers and young children to spend much more time away from screens than on. While they can hear the songs being played and follow the bright colors on the screen, a child at that age will benefit a lot more if they are introduced to those shapes and colors in real life than from a screen. As the child gets older their screen time can be introduced with limits, so they can get a good balance of both. Start your child’s screen time by setting limits to it early on. It is much easier to set expectations with screen time early on than it is to scale back once they have become accustomed to long term screen use. 

So what have we learned? 

1. Be cautious of how much screen time you are allowing your young child as too much can be harmful to their overall developmental skills. 

2. Make sure you limit their screen time while also giving yourself an opportunity to teach your kid directly, so they get more face to face interaction with other human beings.

3. As a child matures, video games can be introduced. Not all video games are as bad as they say, as long as you set limits early on. Improvements in hand-eye coordination have developed over time from certain games. 

4. As always, be aware of what kind of games you are allowing your child to play. Check for ratings like you would any television show or movie you show them.

That’s all for today South Florida Speech Solutions family! Thank you for joining us for yet another installment of our blog. We hope you’ve enjoyed it and learned a thing or two from it. Until next time South Florida, have a great rest of your week.

Don’t forget to ask us for a free screening for you or your little one when you get a chance. We are here to help! Reach us via email at info@southflspeech.com or send us a message.

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