Use of digital devices, family functioning, and language development in preschool children: a cross-sectional study.
Maria Inês Figueiras Gomes, Marisa Lobo Lousada, Daniela Maria Pias de Figueiredo
PMID 38511803WHAT IT FOUND
Children who spent more hours using smartphones, tablets, or computers scored lower on language tests.
Families reporting higher cohesion and satisfaction had children with better language scores, while more disengaged families had children with lower scores. These were associations in one snapshot, not proof of cause.
Key findings
01Longer daily use of smartphones, tablets, and computers was associated with lower scores on both oral verbal expression and listening comprehension language tests.
02Higher family cohesion and satisfaction correlated with better language scores, while higher family disengagement correlated with worse language scores.
03Children's language scores were generally in the normal range, with 15.05% showing signs suggestive of language disorder in listening comprehension and 10.75% in oral expression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study design is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that screen time causes language delay; children with poorer language may seek out more passive screen activities. The digital device questionnaire was created for this study and has not been validated for reliability or validity. The sample was homogeneous, with most families already functioning well and most children showing normal language development, which limits the ability to detect strong differences. Correlations were weak to moderate, meaning the relationships are not strong predictors for an individual child.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by national funds through the FCT Foundation for Science and Technology.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this study proves screen time causes language delay. It is a cross-sectional snapshot showing an association. The direction of cause is unknown, and the device questionnaire used was not validated.