Babies, screens and speech: how gadgets affect language development

Television and smartphones are the most frequently used by children, and excessive viewing has been found to be associated with lower language development scores. At the same time, reading books and sharing screen content with adults show positive effects on language skills.

Increasing screen time

The prevalence of gadget use among young children has particularly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, raising concerns about the impact on early cognitive and motor development. Previous studies suggest a negative association between prolonged screen time and the acquisition of verbal, social-emotional and self-regulatory skills. Paediatric associations therefore recommend that screen use should be completely eliminated for children under two years of age, and that for older children, screen time should be limited and accompanied by an adult.

Study Design

In "Use of Screens, Books and Adults' Interactions on Toddler's Language and Motor Skills: A Cross-Cultural Study Among 19 Latin American Countries from Different SES", published in PLOS ONE, scientists analysed data from 1,878 toddlers aged 12 to 48 months from Latin American countries. The information was collected between August 2021 and March 2023.

Parents completed questionnaires that assessed the amount of screen time shared with adults, time spent reading books, as well as children's speech skills and some aspects of motor development. Socioeconomic status (SES) was determined by access to basic resources, education level, and parental occupation.

Key findings

• Children watched television most frequently (including in the background), with average daily duration exceeding one hour.
• Most consumed content: entertainment programmes, music and educational programmes.
• Correlation with SES: families with lower socioeconomic status were less likely to use books and had fewer educational resources.
• Negative correlation: increased screen time was associated with low vocabulary and delayed achievement of speech milestones.
• Positive correlation: reading books and co-viewing with adults contributed to higher language development.
• Motor skills: no significant relationship with time at the screen was found.

The authors emphasise that as the role of digital devices continues to grow, the factors influencing the early development of young children need to be carefully analysed. A controlled experimentation approach will allow for a more precise separation of the effects of screen time from other variables.

Source: Lucas G. Gago-Galvagno et al, Use of screens, books and adults' interactions on toddler's language and motor skills: A cross-cultural study among 19 Latin American countries from different SES, PLOS ONE (2025). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0314569