Extensive use of smartphones by parents might damage toddler’s development and have far-reaching consequences

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/937995

 

 News Release 15-Dec-2021
Moms devote only 25% of their attention to toddlers while browsing the Internet on the phone
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Tel-Aviv University

 

A new study from Tel Aviv University found that interaction between mothers and their toddlers is reduced by a factor of four when the mothers use their smartphones, which might damage the toddler’s development and have even greater and far-reaching consequences. 

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“We found that the three components of mother-child interaction were reduced by a factor of two to four relative to uninterrupted free play, both when the mother was reading printed magazines and browsing on her smartphone,” Dr. Borodkin says. “In other words, the mothers talked up to four times less with their children while they were on their smartphone. Moreover, they exchanged fewer conversational turns with the toddler, provided less immediate and content-tailored responses, and more often ignored explicit child bids. Even when they were able to respond while browsing Facebook, the quality of the response was reduced – the mothers kept their responsiveness to a bare minimum to avoid a complete breakdown in communication with the toddler.”

 

Equally interesting is the fact that no difference was found between browsing a smartphone and reading magazines. “We did not find that one media distracted more than the other. However, it is clear that we use smartphones much more than any other media, so they pose a significant developmental threat. It should be noted that we currently have no research evidence suggesting an actual effect on child developmental related to the parental use of smartphones, as this is a relatively new phenomenon. However, our findings indicate an adverse impact on the foundation of child development. The consequences of inadequate mother-child interaction can be far-reaching.”

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