A recent Canadian study revealed a direct link between children’s excessive screen time and a decline in their academic performance, particularly in reading and mathematics during the early educational stages.
The research results, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, indicate that children who spend long hours in front of televisions or digital devices tend to score lower on school assessments compared to their peers who have less screen time.
The study analyzed data from over three thousand children in Ontario, collected between 2008 and 2023, and correlated parents’ reports on screen usage duration with their children’s performance in standardized tests.
The researchers noted that various digital activities such as video gaming, watching programs, and using phones and tablets collectively reduce the time allocated for cognitive tasks and social interactions essential for developing children’s educational skills.
Catherine Birken, a researcher at the SickKids Research Institute in Toronto and a co-author of the study, stated that the findings raise alarms regarding early screen usage habits and emphasized the need for families to adopt balanced digital practices that enhance learning rather than hinder it.
The World Health Organization recommends that children aged 2 to 4 should have no more than one hour of screen time per day, and that infants under one year should avoid screens entirely to safeguard their cognitive and behavioral development.
