Overview
- A Singapore birth‑cohort study tracking children for more than a decade found that screen use at ages one to two accelerated specialization in brain networks for vision, attention and control, which later showed up as slower decision speed and higher adolescent anxiety through this sequence.
- Regular shared reading at age three substantially blunted the link between early screen exposure and the neural changes, suggesting a practical buffer families can adopt.
- Media education professor Paula Bleckmann warns against giving babies tablets, cautions that using screen time as reward or punishment can disrupt emotional regulation, and advises waiting until secondary school before a child gets a personal device.
- Parenting guidance highlights concrete steps to reduce use: set app and device limits with Screen Time, Family Link or Family Safety, create tech‑free zones, remove devices from bedrooms to protect sleep, avoid background TV, and model healthier habits.
- Experts say pandemic‑era routines have persisted and parents report the “everyone‑else‑can” pressure, so coordinated class agreements and more outdoor, hands‑on activities can help reestablish balanced media use.