A groundbreaking 10-year study has delivered a stark warning to parents: exposing infants and toddlers to high levels of screen time can have lasting negative effects on their brains, leading to significantly slower decision-making and heightened anxiety in later childhood.
The Long-Term Impact of Early Screen Exposure
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) tracked approximately 170 children born in 2009 from birth. The study, released last week, used brain scans at various developmental stages to understand the long-term consequences of early screen exposure.
The findings were clear and concerning. For children up to two years old, each additional hour of daily screen time was associated with being 25% slower at making decisions by the age of eight-and-a-half. By their teenage years, these same children exhibited higher levels of anxiety symptoms. These results held true across all socio-economic backgrounds.
Lead researcher Professor Tan Ai Peng, a clinician-scientist at NUS and principal scientist at A*STAR’s Institute for Human Development and Potential, gave a relatable example. "One impact on daily life is taking a long time to decide whether to cross the road when the traffic light turns green," she explained.
Anxiety, Decision-Making, and Future Risks
The study links early screen time to anxiety that can manifest in various ways, including excessive worry, social avoidance, or physical symptoms like an increased heart rate and sleep disturbances. Professor Peng emphasized the broad life impact. "All these issues with decision-making and anxiety could affect different dimensions of an individual’s life, from academic performance to, in adulthood, work performance," she stated.
She further warned that interpersonal relationships, which require strong decision-making and social skills, could also be negatively impacted. The researcher pointed out that the risk may be even greater for today's children compared to those in the study, who mainly watched television. "Children as young as two now have access to devices like mobile phones and tablets," she noted.
Hope for Reversal and Positive Intervention
Despite the concerning findings, the research team offers a powerful message of hope: it is never too late to reverse these side effects. Children's brains are highly adaptable, and positive lifestyle changes can help rewire developing neural pathways.
Professor Peng advocates for replacing short periods of screen time with rich, interactive activities. Key interventions include:
- Reading together with parents, which fosters back-and-forth interaction and emotional recognition.
- Playing face-to-face games.
- Going for outdoor walks.
- Engaging in music and sports.
She stressed that shared activities are crucial. "If a child reads alone, the child is just learning a language. But when reading with parents, it is about interaction, learning to recognise facial expressions and emotions," Peng elaborated. If devices are used, she advises parents to sit with their children and use them as a shared educational tool, not as a solitary babysitter.
While parents are critical during infancy, healthy peer interaction becomes increasingly important as children grow. Looking forward, the team will continue tracking the children into adulthood to assess long-term cognitive function, mental health, and resilience. They are also expanding their research to see how screen time interacts with other factors like sleep and physical activity.
"All the adverse outcomes we are seeing in these adolescents are a combination of high screen time, low physical activity, and insufficient sleep," Peng concluded. "We aim to design a comprehensive intervention to address this more holistically."
