Executive function
Does screen time at age two predict toddlers' executive function?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Toddlers who watched more screens at two years old did somewhat worse on self-control and working-memory tasks a year later, even after accounting for their earlier abilities.
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cohort — Two-wave prospective cohort of first-born children: parent-reported daily screen time and lab-style EF task batteries at 24 and 36 months; regression controlling for prior EF, vocabulary, age and sex.
- N
- N=179 · 179 families with complete 24-month data were analysed (missing 36-month data handled by full-information maximum likelihood); 149 children had screen-time data at 36 months.
- Population
- First-born toddlers of cohabiting, English-speaking first-time parents recruited in the East of England.
- Outcome
- Composite executive function score at 36 months (working-memory search, card sorting, Baby Stroop and self-ordered pointing tasks).
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Key findings
Screen time rose from about 87 to 116 minutes a day between the two ages. More screen time at 24 months predicted lower executive function at 36 months (standardised beta about -0.20), but screen time at 36 months was not related to executive function at the same age. In the reverse test, only earlier screen time predicted later screen time; earlier executive function did not.
Methodology
Both parents reported how long their child spent daily on TV, computers and touchscreens at 24 and 36 months. Children did hands-on executive function tasks at both ages, such as finding hidden toys, switching sorting rules and pointing to the 'wrong' spoon on command. Regressions predicted 36-month executive function from earlier and concurrent screen time, controlling for 24-month executive function, vocabulary, age and sex, and a second model tested whether poor executive function predicted later screen time.
Limitations
It is correlational, so an unmeasured factor such as parenting style or genetics could drive both screen use and executive function. Screen time came from parents' rough category estimates, not diaries or device logging, and the study did not know what children were watching or doing (adult vs child content, interactive vs passive, background TV). The executive function composites had only modest reliability, and the task batteries differed between ages, so the tasks do not show which specific component is affected.
How this study connects
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