The impacts of screen media use on young children's cognition

Children spend more time with screen media than policies advise. Because research cannot keep up with the rate at which new technologies evolve, these guidelines are based on the study of the impacts of more traditional media on children’s development. This research explored whether theories of children’s learning from television are applicable to children’s (2-6 years) use of interactive touchscreens. Collectively, this work suggests that not all “screen time” is created equally. Policies should evolve from being restrictive to instructive, and provide guidance on creating quality screen media experiences that consider the content and context, rather than the duration.