Study shows parents who are on their phones too much have kids with lower language aptitude

There’s no denying that we all spend a lot of time looking at screens in the year 2024—especially parents who use devices. And that’s okay. However, parents who get a lot of screen time might want to check out this new study, published this week in the academic journal Frontiers in Developmental Psychology. Researchers involved in the study found that parents who tend to spend more time looking at screens rather than interacting with their kids aren’t just modeling a bad habit — they could actually be hindering their kids’ language skills.

The study found a correlation between parents who use screens more often and kids who use screens more often. But more concerning than that, the kids of parents who used screens more often had a lower aptitude for grammar and vocabulary.

Researchers who worked on the study surveyed parents of 421 Estonian children between the ages of 2 and 4. They noted that the findings make sense, because verbal interactions with parents are a critical way that kids learn language skills at that age.

“We know that when screens are in use — either by a parent or a child — there is less talking, teaching and reading in households — and this may be a reason for the lower grammar skills and vocabulary,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, co-medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health.

One of the most shocking findings in the study, though, was that when kids watched screens with their parents, it didn’t help improve their language skills. This helps support prior research that shows that kids don’t learn as well from screens as they do from in-person interactions with other people.

“Our study shifts (the) focus from just children’s screen time to the role of family screen habits by showing that mothers’ and fathers’ screen use influences children’s language skills,” said said Dr. Tiia Tulviste, a professor of developmental psychology at Estonia’s University of Tartu and the study’s lead author. “It highlights the need for family-based approaches when managing screen time.”

Dr. Tulviste’s study was conducted in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many people around the world, especially children, to spend much more time on screens, especially for education. Dr. Tulviste is planning a follow-up study to research the effects of screen use during the pandemic, and how that might have impacted kids’ language skills.