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- Kids who use tablets for an extra hour a day are more like to be angry a year later
- Tablet use may ‘contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation’
Children who use their tablets for an extra hour a day are more like to be angry or frustrated a year later, a study suggests.
Most parents will, at some point, have handed their child a tablet to keep them occupied or to distract them from a tantrum.
But be warned – as this could lead to issues further down the line – experts say.
A team from the Universite de Sherbrooke in Quebec asked 315 parents in Canada to record their child’s tablet use at the age of 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 years.
Parents were also asked to report their child’s expressions of anger and frustration at these ages.
Children who use their tablets for an extra hour a day are more like to be angry or frustrated a year later, a study suggests (stock image)
Overall, children in the sample spent an average of 6.5 hours per week – nearly an hour a day – using tablets at the age of 3.5.
However, this represented a large variation between individual children, with some spending no time at all on tablets per day while others spent more than five hours a day using them.
Analysis revealed that at the age of 3.5, each increase in tablet use of an hour and 15 minutes per day was linked to a 22 per cent increase in anger or frustration by the age of 4.5.
This could include scenarios such as a child getting angry when they have to go to bed, or having a temper tantrum when they don’t get what they want.
The researchers warn that early-childhood tablet use may ‘contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation’ (stock image)
In turn, children who were more angry or frustrated at the age of 4.5 were then more likely to spend more time on tablets by the age of 5.5.
Writing in the journal Jama Pediatrics the researchers warned that early-childhood tablet use may ‘contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation’.
‘By the age of 3 years, children are capable of operating mobile devices by themselves,’ they said.
‘Indeed, parents reported using screens frequently to keep children occupied, as they complete important tasks and chores.
‘This suggests that tablet use may frequently be a solitary activity for children, and therefore, may provide few opportunities to learn and practice emotional regulation strategies.
‘In addition, recent work has provided evidence that child use of electronic media contributes to reduced parent-child talk, an important mechanism for children to learn self-regulation.’
Professor Caroline Fitzpatrick, one of the study’s authors, said: ‘Caretakers also report using tablets to soothe children when they experience strong emotions.
‘This strategy is likely to backfire in the long term as it can interfere with children’s ability to develop internal strategies to manage their emotions.
‘Parents of preschool aged children should closely monitor and limit their child’s tablet use. Parents can also engage children in activities that help build emotional regulation skills like shared book reading and imaginary play.’
However, commenting on the study Professor Chris Ferguson, from Stetson University in Florida, said the findings ‘don’t suggest a relationship that should cause parents to worry too much about tablet use’.
