Are Screens Stealing Early Childhood?

A child does not need to own a smartphone to experience the effects of growing up in a digital world. Screens are already present in many homes long before children begin school. Their influence extends beyond what children watch, because technology can also affect how families spend time together, communicate and respond to one another.

The October 2026 Internet Matters report, First Steps in a Digital World, reveals how deeply technology has entered early childhood. Its findings raise important questions when examined alongside research into language development, emotional wellbeing and parental attention. For Children of the Digital Age (CODA), the concern is not simply harmful online content. We must also ask whether screens are replacing the experiences children need to develop.

95% of Young Children Have Access to Digital Devices

The UK report examines families with children aged five and under. Researchers surveyed 1,000 parents and conducted 20 detailed interviews about the introduction and management of technology during early childhood. Its findings show widespread access, although access does not necessarily mean ownership or unrestricted use.

• 95% of children aged five and under have access to at least one digital device.
• 86% use smart televisions, and 77% use tablets.
• 56% have access to smartphones, mainly through their parents.
• Children under two spend an average of 44 minutes daily using screens.
• Children aged four and five average 100 minutes daily.
• 26% of parents know their child has encountered age-inappropriate content.
• 43% of parents say devices distract them when spending time with their children.

These are parent reported findings from UK families, not direct measurements of screen exposure and not an Irish prevalence study. Nevertheless, they illustrate how early digital experiences begin. They also provide an opportunity to compare everyday family habits with public health guidance.

What Do Health Authorities Recommend for Children Under Five?

The World Health Organization recommends no sedentary screen time for children under two. For children aged two to four, it advises a maximum of one hour daily, with less being better. Ireland’s Health Service Executive also recommends avoiding screens in infancy, apart from video calls, and limiting screen time during the preschool years.

• Birth to 18 months: Avoid screen use, apart from video calls with family and friends.
• 18 months to two years: Limit screen use as much as possible.
• Ages two to five: Ideally no more than one hour daily, including television.
• At every age: Protect sleep, physical activity, play and meaningful social interaction.

These recommendations do not claim that every minute of screen exposure causes harm. Instead, they recognise that children need time for movement, exploration, conversation and responsive relationships. Against the HSE’s one hour recommendation, the reported average of 100 minutes for four and five year olds deserves attention.

The average of 44 minutes for children under two also raises questions. However, that age group contains babies and toddlers at different developmental stages, so it would be misleading to describe the figure as an average for infants under 12 months alone.

Screen Time and the Developing Brain

The early years bring rapid changes in communication, attention, emotional regulation and social understanding. Children learn through facial expressions, gestures, shared attention and repeated responses from familiar adults. Research suggests that greater screen exposure can be associated with poorer developmental outcomes, although the strength and direction of these relationships require careful interpretation.

Research Links Screen Use to Developmental Delays

A 2023 JAMA Pediatrics study followed 7,097 mother and child pairs in Japan. Researchers examined whether screen exposure at age one was related to developmental outcomes at ages two and four. Higher screen exposure was associated with increased odds of delays in communication and problem solving.

Children exposed to four or more hours of screens per day at age one had approximately 4.78 times the adjusted odds of communication delay at age two, compared with children exposed to less than one hour. This is an odds ratio, not proof that screens caused the delay. Family circumstances and other developmental influences may have contributed.

More Screens, Fewer Conversations

A separate 2024 JAMA Pediatrics study investigated screen time and everyday language interactions in 220 Australian families. Using audio recording technology, researchers measured adult words heard, child vocalisations and conversational exchanges. Greater screen exposure was associated with fewer opportunities for these interactions.

Young children do not learn language simply by hearing speech. They benefit when an adult listens, responds and builds on their attempts to communicate. Educational content may be useful in an appropriate context, but passive viewing cannot fully reproduce a responsive conversation with a familiar adult.

When Parents Are Present but Distracted

The Internet Matters report identifies another issue that deserves equal attention. It found that 59% of parents worried about the impact of their own device use on their children. In addition, 43% acknowledged feeling distracted by technology while spending time with their children.

Researchers describe technology interruptions during family interaction as parental phubbing or technoference. The concern is not a parent occasionally answering an important call. It is the possibility that repeated interruptions reduce the quality and consistency of interactions that children need.

A Review Involving 14,900 Participants

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis in JAMA Pediatrics examined 21 studies involving approximately 14,900 participants from ten countries. It found associations between greater parental technology use in children’s presence and poorer cognitive outcomes, weaker attachment, fewer prosocial behaviours and more emotional or behavioural difficulties.

The associations were generally small, and the researchers could not establish that device use directly caused the outcomes. Even so, the findings support greater attention to the quality of parent and child interaction. They also suggest that adult technology habits belong in conversations about children’s digital wellbeing.

Why Responsive Attention Matters

The Harvard Center on the Developing Child describes the importance of serve and return interactions. A baby may smile, point, babble or cry. When an adult notices and responds appropriately, the exchange helps build foundations for communication, relationships and developing brain architecture.

These interactions happen during ordinary moments such as feeding, playing, reading and walking together. Repeated phone notifications can interrupt some of those opportunities. Research on parental distraction identifies immediate changes in responsiveness, but occasional interruptions should not be equated with permanent developmental harm.

What Happens When Screens Replace Play?

Young children need opportunities to explore, move, experiment and engage in imaginative play. They also need to practise coping with frustration and boredom, with support from caring adults. Screen exposure becomes particularly concerning when it repeatedly displaces these experiences rather than complementing them.

Parents in the Internet Matters research recognised this issue. Around 34% were concerned that devices could displace offline play, while 32% worried about effects on behaviour and children’s ability to stop using screens. These are reported parental concerns, not proof of specific developmental injury.

Autoplay and Endless Recommendations

Many digital services provide personalised recommendations, autoplay and continuously available content. These features can remove natural stopping points for very young users and make it difficult for families to manage transitions away from screens. They can also present material that a parent did not deliberately choose.

This raises a question about responsibility. Parents need to establish boundaries, but technology companies also influence behaviour through product design. Age appropriate experiences should not depend entirely on families counteracting systems designed to maximise engagement.

Parental Controls Cannot Protect Childhood Development

Parental controls can help families restrict content, manage access and set time limits. Internet Matters found that 83% of parents had configured at least one control, yet 26% were aware of their child encountering age inappropriate content. Those figures do not establish that controls failed in each case. They do show why using settings alone is not a complete safety strategy.

CODA previously explored independent testing of these features in Child Safety Features Failed Independent Tests. Our analysis of Online Gaming Child Safety Gaps likewise examined limitations in platform protections.

Parental controls cannot ensure that children receive sufficient conversation, responsive attention, active play and sleep. A device may have restrictive settings and still occupy time that would otherwise be spent developing relationships. Similarly, a parent can configure safety settings while remaining distracted by their own phone.

How Can Parents Protect the Early Years?

Families need realistic advice that recognises employment, caring responsibilities, disabilities and limited support. The aim is not to shame parents or imply that all screen use is harmful. It is to protect the everyday experiences that support children’s development.

• Follow age based guidance. Use the HSE recommendations as a starting point, particularly in infancy.
• Make space for device free interaction. Protect shared meals, reading, play and bedtime routines where practical.
• Talk and listen. Respond to children’s questions, gestures and attempts at conversation.
• Prioritise movement and imaginative play. Offer opportunities for outdoor activity, creativity and exploration.
• Choose content deliberately. Where screens are used, favour age appropriate material and shared viewing.
• Avoid making screens the default way to manage distress. Support children as they learn to cope with frustration and boredom.
• Review adult phone habits. Reduce unnecessary notifications and repeated interruptions during family time.
• Use parental controls as a supplement. Technical safeguards should support, not replace, active parenting.

Technology can also offer important communication, learning and accessibility benefits, including for children with additional needs. The appropriate approach should consider the individual child and professional guidance where relevant.

Responsibility Cannot Rest with Parents Alone

Parents are often told to manage screen time, configure settings and supervise online content. Those responsibilities matter, but they do not exist in isolation. Technology companies shape children’s digital experiences through recommendations, default settings, autoplay and other engagement features.

Policymakers, educators, health professionals and platforms should look beyond exposure to inappropriate content. They should also consider how digital environments affect children’s opportunities for play, sleep, social connection and healthy development. Clear, consistent advice can help families make informed choices.

Childhood Needs More Than a Safe Screen

The foundations for language, learning, relationships and emotional development are built through countless ordinary interactions. Technology can play a useful role in family life, but it should not routinely displace responsive attention, conversation, movement or meaningful play.

The Internet Matters research reminds us that digital childhood begins long before the teenage years. Meanwhile, developmental research raises legitimate concerns about excessive exposure and repeated interruptions to relationships between adults and young children.

Protecting children in the digital age is not only about controlling what they see on a screen. It is also about protecting the childhood experiences, human relationships and responsive attention that no screen can replace.

References

• Internet Matters. First Steps in a Digital World. October 2026.
• Health Service Executive. Screen Time and Young Children.
• World Health Organization. Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age.
• Takahashi et al. Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Developmental Delay. JAMA Pediatrics, 2023.
• Brushe et al. Screen Time and Parent Child Talk. JAMA Pediatrics, 2024.
• Parental Technology Use in a Child’s Presence and Early Development. JAMA Pediatrics, 2025.
• Harvard Center on the Developing Child. Serve and Return.

Further Reading from CODA

• Child Safety Features Failed Independent Tests
• Online Gaming Child Safety Gaps
• Digital Media and Children’s Health: Lancet Research
• 2026 Common Sense Media Census and Children’s Screen Time

About Children of the Digital Age

Children of the Digital Age provides online safety education and training for schools, parents and organisations. Our guides support practical conversations about online behaviour and the choices people make. However, education and app settings do not replace safeguarding or professional support.

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