Impact of the Use of Interactive Screens on Language Development in Children up to 6 Years of Age: A Systematic
Djalma Carmo da Silva Junior1, Yasmin Marques Castro1, Rinelly Pazinato Dutra1
1School of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil.
Objective:
The study aims to examine the association between interactive screen use and language development in children up to 6 years of age through a systematic review of observational studies.
Methods:
This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search included four databases and used the PECOS strategy. Observational studies-either cross-sectional or longitudinal-that investigated the relationship between the use of mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) and language development in children aged 0-6 years were included. Duplicate records were removed using Rayyan software. Screening was carried out in pairs in two stages: title/abstract review and full-text reading.
Results:
Most of the evidence suggests a negative association between excessive screen time and language development, particularly in expressive language and vocabulary. However, some studies found no statistically significant association, suggesting that factors such as exposure time, quality of interactions and family context influence the observed outcomes. Methodological heterogeneity limited direct comparisons between findings.
Conclusions:
Although the results are not consistent, there is evidence of negative effects of prolonged and unsupervised use of electronic devices on young children's language development.
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