Peer-reviewed article
Cross-Sectional Associations of Screen Media Use Patterns with Executive Functioning and Emotional Self-Regulation Among U.S. Preschool-Aged Children
Kwon S, Armstrong B, Welch SB, Zulauf-McCurdy CA ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how different types of screen media use affect executive functioning and emotional self-regulation in 3-4 year old children in the United States. The researchers found that children averaged 109 minutes per day of screen time across various devices and activities. Video viewing was associated with greater difficulties in executive functioning, while mobile device use was associated with greater difficulties in emotional self-regulation. The type of screen activity and device mattered more than total screen time alone.
Key points
- Children averaged 109 minutes/day of screen time: 60 minutes television video, 30 minutes mobile video, 13 minutes mobile games, 6 minutes television games
- Each additional 30 minutes/day of total screen time was associated with greater executive-function difficulty
- Video viewing specifically was associated with greater executive-function difficulty (30 minutes more = 0.06 unit increase on difficulty measure)
- Mobile device use was associated with greater emotional-regulation difficulty (30 minutes more = 0.05 unit increase on difficulty measure)
- Mobile video viewing was correlated with parents using screens to calm children (correlation = 0.50)
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional study, so it cannot establish causation—we do not know whether screen use causes these difficulties or whether children with existing difficulties use screens more. The study relies on maternal self-reporting of screen time, which may be subject to recall bias or social desirability bias.
Abstract
Abstract Background Children’s screen media use increases substantially during the preschool years, a period of rapid development in executive functioning and emotional self-regulation. Greater screen time has been associated with difficulties in both domains, but most studies have focused on total screen time. This approach may obscure distinct associations with developmental domains because screen media use varies in activity (video viewing vs. digital game playing) and device type (mobile devices vs. television). We examined whether associations between screen media use and executive functioning and emotional self-regulation differed by activity and device type among preschool-aged children. Methods A study design was cross-sectional. The study sample consisted of 238 mother-child dyads with children aged 3–4 years participating in the Behavioral and Emotional Development in Early Childhood Study (BEES). Mothers reported child media use using the Media Assessment Questionnaire, which assessed daily minutes spent viewing video content and playing digital games on mobile devices and television, along with background television and reasons for allowing screen use. Primary outcomes were executive-function difficulty measured using the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory and emotional self-regulation difficulty using the Emotion Regulation Checklist. Multivariable linear regression models estimated associations between screen media use and the outcomes, adjusted for child age, child sex, maternal education, and neighborhood opportunity. Results Children averaged 109 minutes/day (SD = 92) of screen time, including 60 minutes/day (SD = 40) of television video viewing, 30 minutes/day (SD = 39) of mobile video viewing, 13 minutes/day (SD = 25) of mobile game playing, and 6 minutes/day (SD = 20) of television game playing. Total video viewing was correlated with background television (ρ = 0.48; p < 0.001), and mobile video viewing was correlated with parental use of screens to calm the child (ρ = 0.50; p < 0.001). Each additional 30 minutes/day of total screen time was associated with greater executive-function difficulty (B = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.06), but not emotional-regulation difficulty. In decomposition analyses, longer video viewing was associated with greater executive-function difficulty (B = 0.06; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.11), whereas longer mobile-device use was associated with greater emotional-regulation difficulty (B = 0.05; 95% CI = 0.01, 0.08). Conclusions In this cross-sectional examination of U.S. preschool-aged children, greater video viewing was associated with greater executive-function difficulty, whereas greater mobile-device use was associated with greater emotional-regulation difficulty. Findings highlight the importance of considering activity and device type when examining the impact of screen media use on child development.