Solitary Screen Time a ‘Unique Peril’ for Young Kids Already at Risk

A small but important study finds that unsupervised, solitary screen time — on TV or handheld devices — may worsen behavioral and emotional challenges in young children who already struggle with language skills.

The findings, published in March in Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, show that preschoolers and kindergartners with poor communication skills and smaller active vocabularies developed more behavior problems over six months if they spent more time alone on screens. Boys spent more time alone on screens and showed more behavior problems than girls.

The effects were most evident among children averaging just 10 to 30 minutes of solitary screen use on televisions, phones or tablets per day across a week. More time alone on screens was also linked to more emotional problems later on.

However, screen time did not consistently make emotional problems worse for kids who already had language difficulties.

Overall, the findings point to solitary screen use as a factor that may worsen developmental trajectories, likely by reducing opportunities for critical social interactions that support language and cognitive growth, emotional regulation and relationships.

“Like other home environment risks, solitary screen time poses a unique peril to young children with heightened vulnerabilities,” said Molly Selover, lead author and a Florida Atlantic University doctoral student in psychology.

Excessive screen use by young children is widespread, and technology is designed to capture and profit from users’ attention.

The World Health Organization, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Psychological Association recommend no more than one hour per day for children ages 2 to 5, yet a global review found that two-thirds of households exceed this limit.