New research: https://theconversation.com/touchscreens-may-make-toddlers-more-distractible-new-three-year-study-154036
The three-year study looked at how often babies and toddlers used touchscreens and then measured their attention and eye movement when they were almost at pre-school age (three-and-a-half). Children with higher touchscreen use were both slower to deliberately control their attention, and less able to ignore distracting objects.
The researchers said more studies were needed and that it was hard to say whether daily use of touchscreens in infancy had caused the older children to be more distractible, or whether it was just a case of touchscreens being more appealing to certain children.
They cautioned, however, that there is still a lot we don’t know about the effects of touchscreens on brain development.
It’s important for parents to have support to engage children in the right balance of safe, interesting activities, and handle problems around reducing screen time (such as children having tantrums when devices are taken away).
The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® can give parents specific information and strategies to help with both of these goals.
Parents can get a greater understanding of child development and behaviour in relation to many other issues too, by doing free Triple P Online in Queensland, or some other type of free Triple P: www.triplep-parenting.net