Predictors of ToM Level: Unveiling the Impact of Digital Screen Exposure Among Chinese Kindergarten Children

ToM (ToM) and empathy, integral components of children's social cognitive development, are shaped by multifaceted factors. The developmental trajectories of ToM and empathy in kindergarten children have long been focal points of inquiry for researchers and educators. Among these determinants, environmental factors emerge as significant predictors of children's ToM and empathetic abilities. In contemporary society, digital screens have transformed into a ubiquitous medium for kindergarten children, deeply embedded in their daily life, learning, and recreational activities. Consequently, screen exposure has become a novel and distinctive environmental context for childhood development, diverging from traditional settings. This shift raises critical questions that have become focal in recent developmental media research: Does screen exposure correlate with children's ToM and empathy? And how do key dimensions of screen use (e.g., duration, content) influence the development of these social cognitive skills? To address these queries, this study employed a two-phase experimental approach. Initially, a total of 642 parental questionnaires were collected to comprehensively investigate the current status of digital screen usage among Chinese kindergarten children. Subsequently, the ToM and empathy levels of 126 children were systematically evaluated. The findings revealed that the average daily duration of children's screen time exhibited a significant negative predictive effect on their ToM level, consistent with prior longitudinal studies that linked early excessive screen exposure to poorer later ToM performance. Conversely, engagement with child-friendly content (e.g., prosocial narratives) and parent-child discussions regarding character emotions during screen exposure (e.g., dialogic questioning while co-viewing) emerged as positive predictors of ToM. Notably, no significant predictive relationships were identified between various dimensions of screen exposure and children's empathy. This research elucidates the impact of screen exposure on crucial aspects of children's social cognition, offering practical implications for optimizing screen device utilization to foster children's holistic development.