Keeping Technostress in Check

From eNewsletters 9/23/2026

DID YOU KNOW that when we worry about screens and young children's language skills, we tend to focus on how much time the kids spend on devices, but a new study in JAMA Pediatrics suggests the parents' screen habits may matter just as much.

Following 747 children from ages 5 to 7, researchers found that most measures of children's own screen time weren't linked to how their language developed. However, children whose primary parent spent more time on a smartphone showed slower growth in vocabulary (their ability to understand words), with each additional hour of parent phone time per day tied to a measurable slowdown. Kids who owned their own device by age 4 or 5 also started out with weaker vocabulary and grammar than those who didn't.

Seemingly, a child's language grows in the back-and-forth of everyday conversation, so the moments we spend looking up from our own phones and talking with our little ones may be some of the most valuable "screen time" decisions we make.

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