If your young child has been having more meltdowns, their tablet might be the problem. New research suggests that excessive screen time is fueling increased anger and frustration in preschoolers, making their tantrums harder to manage. The study relied on parent-reported data on tablet use and emotional behavior, tracking each child’s development over time.
Researchers found that a one-hour increase in daily tablet use at age 3.5 was linked to a 22 percent rise in anger and frustration by the following year. The research also revealed that children more prone to anger at age 4.
5 often increased their tablet use by age 5.5, suggesting that while excessive screen time might trigger emotional issues, those same issues can drive kids to rely on screens even more, creating a tough-to-break cycle. “Children who are more challenging and less well regulated tend to be exposed to more screen time by parents,” the study states.
“Parents report using screen media as a calming tool to help manage young children’s emotional outbursts.” Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the research also highlighted how the unique stresses of that period may have influenced the study’s outcomes. With many families dealing with disrupted routines and heightened stress, children’s tablet use and emotional states may have been more unstable.
On average, children in the study spent about an hour per day on tablets by the age of 5.5, though this varied widely. While previous studies have s.