Preschool tablet use is associated with tantrums, more screen time

They have become iPad professionals.

Preschoolers who use a tablet for fun may not learn to manage their emotions, leading to tantrums that prompt parents to give them a tablet to calm them down.

Researchers from the Université de Sherbrooke in Canada detailed this “harmful” cycle Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

The study authors note that the average amount of time young children spend on mobile devices has increased from five minutes per day in 2020 to 55 minutes per day in 2022, with many 4-year-olds having their own devices.

Research shows that too much screen time can negatively affect preschoolers’ health, academics and social skills because they aren’t interacting with their parents — who can teach them how to regulate their emotions — or play with others.

For this study, parents of 315 children from Nova Scotia reported their iPad, tablet or mobile device use in 2020 when they were 3 ¹/2, in 2021 at 4 ¹/2 and in 2022 at 5¹/₂. Temperament was measured with a behavioral questionnaire.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that screen time be limited to one hour per day (or seven hours per week) of high-quality programming for children 2 to 5 years old.

The children in the study spent an average of 6¹/2 hours per week on tablets with 3 ¹/2, 6 hours and 42 minutes per week with 4 ¹/2 and 7 hours with 5 ¹/2.

Researchers linked 3 ¹/2 children’s tablet use with more expressions of anger and frustration a year later.

Child anger at 4¹/2 was associated with more tablet use at 5¹/2.

“Screen use in general and mobile device use in particular are increasingly present in young children’s lives,” the researchers wrote in their findings. “Our study suggests that parents should be made aware that early childhood tablet use can disrupt the ability to manage anger and frustration and lead to increased outbursts in young children.”

There were some limitations to the study, including that it was conducted in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic when screens were often used as babysitters.

The authors also did not take into account the quality of the content the preschoolers were viewing, such as whether they were reading a book or watching YouTube.

“Some apps and programs can provide support in developing emotional regulation
skills”, they noted. “For example, the Daniel Tiger program and the mobile app [have] has been shown to help children improve their emotional regulation skills.”

Plus, the researchers don’t know if parents interacted with their children while using the tablet. Sharing a tablet can help parents and children strengthen their relationship as they surf the web together.

Dr. Scott Krakower, a child psychiatrist at Northwell Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, recommends a moderate approach to screen time.

“For example, if you’re going to let the kids use the iPad, then I’d say give yourself a reasonable time when you’re in the back of your head,” Krakower said. “It might be 20 minutes on the iPad or 15 minutes on the iPad and then there should be a break.”