ArticleBMC public health2024
Mobile device screen time is associated with poorer language development among toddlers: results from a large-scale survey.
Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Screen Use, Child Development and Family Involvement in Children Aged 2-7 Years: A Systematic Review.Journal of paediatrics and child health · 2026Pooled it
- Associations Between Early Screen Exposure and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Children Aged 2-5 Years: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Factors Associated with Language Delay in 12-Month-to-3-Year-Old Children-A Real-World Vietnam Case-Control Study.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Executive Functioning as a Mediator Between Digital Media Exposure and Communication Outcomes in Children and Adolescents.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- Parental mediation of smart device use and its impact on language development in early childhood.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Screen Time, Digital Content Quality, and Parental Mediation as Predictors of Linguistic and Pragmatic Development: Implications for Pediatric and Preventive Health.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sleep Duration and Screen Time in Young Children with Mild Language Delays.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Molecular and Neurobiological Imbalance from the Use of Technological Devices During Early Child Development Stages.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The Impact of COVID-19 on the Language Skills of Preschool Children: Data from a School Screening Project for Language Disorders in Greece.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Dyadic Interactions, Communication and Regulation Skills: Associations with Screen Use in Toddlers from Buenos Aires.Psychology in Russia : state of the art · 2024Article
- Digital Exposure in Early Childhood: Health Risks and Protective Strategies During Remote Learning.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDespite young children's widespread use of mobile devices, little research exists on this use and its association with children's language development. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between mobile device screen time and language comprehension and expressive language skills. An additional aim was to examine whether three factors related to the domestic learning environment modify the associations.
methodsThe study uses data from the Danish large-scale survey TRACES among two- and three-year-old children (n = 31,125). Mobile device screen time was measured as time spent on mobile devices on a normal day. Measurement of language comprehension and expressive language skills was based on subscales from the Five to Fifteen Toddlers questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development and logistic regression to examine the risk of experiencing significant language difficulties. Joint exposure analyses were used to examine the association between child mobile device screen time and language development difficulties in combination with three other factors related to the domestic learning environment: parental education, reading to the child and child TV/PC screen time.
resultsHigh mobile device screen time of one hour or more per day was significantly associated with poorer language development scores and higher odds for both language comprehension difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.30; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.42) and expressive language skills difficulties (1-2 h: AOR = 1.19; ≥ 2 h: AOR = 1.46). The results suggest that reading frequently to the child partly buffers the negative effect of high mobile device screen time on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties. No modifying effect of parental education and time spent by the child on TV/PC was found.
conclusionsMobile device screen time of one hour or more per day is associated with poorer language development among toddlers. Reading frequently to the child may have a buffering effect on language comprehension difficulties but not on expressive language skills difficulties.
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Registered trials
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