Smartphones and tablets have become electronic babysitters for many children. They may keep kids out of mom’s hair for a while, but they do come with perils. According to a recent study, the devices are causing mental health problems in children as young as 2 years old. [1]
Hours per day spent on all screens, electronic devices, and TV and video games by individual years of age, U.S., 2016.
There is ample research which should give parents pause when considering whether to let the TV babysit their kids. One study even suggests that too much tube time can lead to poor bone health later on.
I don’t like to bash TV. A decade ago, I worked with teen moms and their babies in a group-home setting, and nothing seemed to calm the little ones quite like Baby Einstein videos. Those videos also had a soothing effect on my nieces and nephews when they were babies.
Smartphones and tablets are a good way to keep young children quiet and entertained, but a recent study suggests that babies and toddlers allowed too much screen time may go on to develop speech delays.
Study principal investigator Dr. Catherine Birken, a staff pediatrician and scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, says:
