Concurrent and longitudinal associations between touchscreen use and executive functions at preschool-age

Area of Science:

• Child Development
• Cognitive Science
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Rising prevalence of touchscreen devices among young children.
• Conflicting evidence on touchscreen use and executive functions (EFs) in preschoolers.
• Potential for active (creative) versus passive (video) touchscreen use to differentially impact EF development.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the longitudinal associations between passive and active touchscreen use and parent-reported EFs in 42-month-old children.
• Examine whether the type of touchscreen use moderates the relationship with EFs.
• Determine if early touchscreen exposure is linked to negative outcomes in preschooler executive functions.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study of 101 infants followed to 42 months of age.
• Concurrent and longitudinal measurement of passive and active touchscreen use.
• Parent-reported executive functions assessed using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Preschool Version (BRIEF-P).

Main Results:

• Multivariate multiple regression revealed no significant negative associations between overall touchscreen use and preschool EFs.
• A significant positive association was observed between active touchscreen use at 42 months and the BRIEF-P Flexibility Index.
• Findings align with previous research in the same cohort during infancy, indicating no detrimental effects of moderate early touchscreen exposure.

Conclusions:

• Moderate levels of early touchscreen use do not appear to be significantly associated with poorer executive functions in preschool-aged children.
• Active engagement with touchscreen devices may support specific aspects of cognitive development, such as flexibility.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the nuanced relationship between different types of touchscreen interaction and child development.