Screen Time Is More than Just the Screen: Indirect Media Exposure Dominates Infants' Digital Environments

Digital media has become ubiquitous for families, yet little is known about how infants and toddlers are exposed to it across different contexts and demographics. Most existing research focuses narrowly on total screen time, often neglecting critical factors such as media type, user, timing, and background exposure. The current study sought to address this gap by asking 252 socioeconomically diverse caregivers of children 8-25 months about their child's media exposure, including how much, what kinds, when, by whom, and in what form digital media is used in the home. Consistent with prior work, infants averaged over 2 hours/day of direct media use but were exposed to even higher rates of indirect background TV (over 4.6 hours/day). Such background exposure represents 66%-75% of children's total TV and handheld device exposure and is significantly more common on weekends. However, there is substantial variability in children's media environments, with older infants being exposed to greater amounts and more diverse forms of media. Notably, children from lower-SES households experience more background media and caregiver phone use, which may introduce both visual and auditory distractions during key developmental periods. This study highlights that the most prominent source of media exposure early in life is not through children's personal use of devices, but rather indirect exposure through background media use, which varies widely across families. To truly capture the landscape of young children's technology exposure and the impact on development, we must consider the broader media environment, not just the screen in front of the child.