Peer-reviewed article

Young children's screen time, executive functions, and language development: Longitudinal moderation of parent/child coviewing and media content.

Porter CL, Stockdale LA, Holmgren HG, Fraser AM, Rainey VR et al. · 22 Jun 2026

Abstract

There is growing interest in how screen-based media is linked to young children's regulatory development. However, findings on the relationship between screen time and regulatory abilities remain mixed, highlighting the need to consider additional contextual factors (e.g., Barr, 2019). This study investigated whether screen time at age 2 predicted hot and cold executive functions (EFs) and language outcomes at age 4. It also tested whether these associations were moderated by parent-child coviewing behaviors and the type of media content children commonly consumed (educational vs. violent). Participants included 306 parent-child dyads (62% White, 22% Hispanic/Latino, 9% Black, 2% Asian, 5% mixed/other race), with 12% reporting an annual income below $20,000. Primary caregivers reported children's screen time at age 2 (M = 28.13 months, SD = 6.84), and children's EF and language were assessed at age 4 (M = 4.07 years, SD = 4.0 months) using standardized assessments (e.g., National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery) and Kochanska's effortful control/EF tasks (i.e., Snack Delay, Whisper, Day/Night). Higher screen time at age 2 was associated with poorer performance on both hot and cold EF tasks and lower receptive vocabulary at age 4. Parent-child coviewing predicted better working memory, and higher exposure to educational content was linked to stronger EF and language outcomes. However, neither coviewing nor educational content moderated the effects of screen time on developmental outcomes over time. In contrast, higher exposure to violent content moderated children's attentional shifting performance. Overall, these findings suggest that early screen exposure-particularly to violent content-may negatively impact children's cognitive/regulatory development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).