What Kids Really Think!

Children need to learn their basic fine and gross motor skills at a young age, or else they might find themselves with physical health-related issues in the future. Some of these may include difficulty learning how to write with a pencil, tying shoes, using scissors, walking, running, jumping, throwing a ball, and more (1).  Spending more time in front of screens means they are spending less time learning how to move their bodies and what their bodies are able to do (2). Many of these studies explain that more face-to-face interaction can help with these issues (3). 

There is also a strong negative correlation between screen time and lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) scores within children. Many of these negative scores were due to screen time having negative effects on behavioral development, social skill development, sleep duration, physical activity, and cognitive development. For example, children who spend more time on their devices are getting fewer hours of sleep or poorer quality sleep (4). Each of the studies was done across multiple countries to compare and contrast the different cultures and technological norms, but they all found the same conclusion of how screens and technology overuse interfered with the developmental aspects of infants and young children (2. 4).

Alexis R. Lauricella, a children, families, and technology researcher at Google, explains in her study of parental influence on youth media use that the amount of screen time a child has often depends on parental rules, house norms, family dynamics, and the parent’s attitude toward technology (5).