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Screen time permeates the lives of toddlers and preschoolers. For many young children, their exposure includes both direct viewing, such as watching a TV show, and indirect viewing, such as when media is on in the background during other daily activities.

As many parents will know, . As scholars who specialize in and , we are particularly interested in the recent finding that too much screen time is associated with less parent-child talk, such as .

As a result, the and suggest limiting screen time for children.

Beyond quantity, they also emphasize the quality of a child鈥檚 engagement with digital media. Used in moderation, certain kinds of media can 鈥� and even contribute to language development.

These tips may help parents structure and manage screen time more effectively.

No. 1: Choose high-quality content

Parents can enhance their children鈥檚 screen-time value by choosing high-quality media 鈥� that is, content with educational benefit. , from 鈥淣ature Cat鈥� to 鈥淪id the Science Kid,鈥� that would qualify as educational.

Two other elements contribute to the quality of screen time.

First, screen content should be age-appropriate 鈥� that is, parents should choose shows, apps and games that are specifically designed for young children. Using a resource such as allows parents to check recommended ages for television shows, movies and apps.

Second, parents can look for shows that use evidence-based educational techniques, such as participatory cues. That鈥檚 when characters in shows break the 鈥渇ourth wall鈥� by directly talking to their young audience to prompt reflection, action or response. that children learn new words better when a show has participatory cues 鈥� perhaps because it encourages active engagement rather than passive viewing.

Many classic, high-quality television shows for young children feature participatory cues, including 鈥�,鈥� 鈥�,鈥� 鈥溾�� and 鈥�.鈥�

No. 2: Join in on screen time

The that whenever possible.

This recommendation is based on the evidence that increased screen media use can reduce parent-child conversation. This, in turn, can affect . Intentionally discussing media content with children increases language exposure during screen time.

Parents may find the following joint media engagement strategies useful:

• Press pause and ask questions.
• Point out basic concepts, such as letters and colors.
• Model more advanced language using a 鈥渢hink aloud鈥� approach, such as, 鈥淭hat surprised me! I wonder what will happen next?鈥�

No. 3: Connect what鈥檚 on screen to real life

because their brains struggle to transfer information and ideas from screens to the real world. Children learn more from screen media, research shows, when the content connects to their real-life experiences.

To maximize the benefits of screen time, parents can help children connect what they are viewing with experiences they鈥檝e had. For example, while watching content together, a parent might say, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to the zoo. Do you remember what we saw when we went to the zoo?鈥�

This approach promotes language development and cognitive skills, including . Children learn better with repeated exposure to words, so selecting media that relates to a child鈥檚 real-life experiences can help reinforce new vocabulary.

No. 4: Enjoy screen-free times

Ensuring that a child鈥檚 day is filled with varied experiences, including periods that don鈥檛 involve screens, increases language exposure in children鈥檚 daily routines.

Two ideal screen-free times are mealtimes and bedtime. Mealtimes present opportunities for back-and-forth conversation with children, exposing them to a lot of language. Additionally, bedtime should be screen-free, as using screens near bedtime or having a TV in children鈥檚 bedrooms .

Alternatively, devoting bedtime to reading children鈥檚 books accomplishes the dual goals of helping children wind down and creating a .

Having additional screen-free, one-on-one, parent-child play for at least 10 minutes at some other point in the day is good for young children. Parents can maximize the benefits of one-on-one play by letting .

A parent鈥檚 role here is to follow their child鈥檚 lead, play along, give their child their full attention 鈥� so no phones for mom or dad, either 鈥� and provide language enrichment. They can do this by labeling toys, pointing out shapes, colors and sizes. It can also be done by describing activities 鈥� 鈥淵ou鈥檙e rolling the car across the floor鈥� 鈥� and responding when their child speaks.

Parent-child playtime is also a great opportunity to extend interests from screen time. Including toys of your child鈥檚 favorite characters from the shows or movies they love in playtime transforms that enjoyment from screen time into learning.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

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