Allowing children under 18 months to use phones and tablets for just 30 MINUTES a day can stunt their speech

  • By 18-months 20% of babies have daily average handheld device use of 28 mins
  • The more screen time, the more likely a child is to have delays in speech
  • Researchers hope their findings will discourage parents from letting their child use any type of screen media before 18 months 

By Shivali Best For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

As the number of smart phones and tablets in homes continues to grow, some children begin using these handheld devices before even beginning to talk.

And a new study suggests that the devices could put children at higher risk of speech delays.

Researchers hope their findings will discourage parents from letting their child use any type of screen media before 18 months.

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As the number of smart phones and tablets in homes continues to grow, some children begin using these handheld devices before even beginning to talk. And a new study suggests that the devices could put children at higher risk of speech delays (stock image)

As the number of smart phones and tablets in homes continues to grow, some children begin using these handheld devices before even beginning to talk. And a new study suggests that the devices could put children at higher risk of speech delays (stock image)

THE STUDY 

The study included 894 children aged between six months and two years.

By their 18-month check-up, 20 per cent of these children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes, according to their parents.

Using a screening tool for language delay, the researchers found that the more handheld screen time, the more likely a child was to have delays in expressive speech.

And for every 30-minute increase in handheld screen time, researchers found a 49 per cent increased risk of expressive speech delay.

Fortunately, there was no link found between handheld device screen time and other communications delays – such as body language and social interactions.

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Researchers from the University of Toronto looked at the effects of handheld devices in the early years on communication.

Dr Catherine Birken, senior author of the study, said: 'Handheld devices are everywhere these days.

'While new paediatric guidelines suggest limiting screen time for babies and toddlers, we believe that the use of smartphones and tablets with young children has become quite common.

'This is the first study to report an association between handheld screen time and increased risk of expressive language delay.'

Their study included 894 children aged between six months and two years.

By their 18-month check-up, 20 per cent of these children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes, according to their parents.

By their 18-month check-up, 20 per cent of children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes, according to their parents (stock image)

By their 18-month check-up, 20 per cent of children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes, according to their parents (stock image)

Using a screening tool for language delay, the researchers found that the more handheld screen time, the more likely a child was to have delays in expressive speech.

And for every 30-minute increase in handheld screen time, researchers found a 49 per cent increased risk of expressive speech delay.

Fortunately, there was no link found between handheld device screen time and other communications delays – such as body language and social interactions.

PHONES CAN MAKE CHILDREN CROSS-EYED 

Youngsters who excessively use their smart phones could be damaging their eyes.

According to researchers in South Korea, children who frequently use the devices are at greater risk of temporary convergent strabismus - or going 'cross-eyed'.

Experts at Chonnam National University Hospital, Seoul, found a link between the two after examining 12 children, aged 7-16, who used their phones for 4-8 hours a day.

The children also held their phones between eight and 12 inches from their faces, meaning proximity could also be a cause.

The researchers told Yonhap News that the condition - which sees the eyes focus inwards - has rarely been diagnosed in South Korea, but is now increasingly prevalent.

It was reported that medics were able to reverse the symptoms in nine of the children by discontinuing mobile phone use for two months. 

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The researchers believe their findings support a recent policy recommendation by the American Academy of Paediatrics to discourage any type of screen media in children younger than 18 months.

But they added that more research is needed to understand the type and contents of screen activities infants are engaging in to further explore mechanisms behind the link between handheld screen time and speech delay. 

They also hope to investigate the impact on longer-term communication outcomes in early childhood.

 

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