Around the world, many researchers are interested in the impact of screens on young people. The Observatoire des tout-petits published this week a “whistleblower” report on the risks associated with excessive screen use by toddlers and their parents. It gives us reason to raise a collective red flag regarding the presence of screens in the daily lives of babies and young children aged 5 and under.
Clear fact: too much exposure to screens presents real risks on the cognitive, language, socio-affective, visual and neurological levels. Small problems in the very young become major problems in older children. Consider, for example, myopia, which has increased over the last ten years, particularly due to increased use of screens.
Why is the 0-5 period critical? Because intrauterine growth does not allow for a fully developed brain at birth. Therefore, nature has programmed a lot of catch-up growth for the brain from birth until about age 7. This means that foundational connections must occur during early childhood so that children are ready to learn when they start school.
The key to this brain growth, which mainly involves creating deep connections between cells and structures in the brain, happens in real time and in relation to real people. While humans have lived without screens for the vast majority of their existence, nature will not evolve overnight to change this fact, hence the importance of protecting our children.
Indeed, screens are now present in all of toddlers’ living environments: at home, at daycare, in the classroom and at school daycare. This increases their exposure to them. In addition to monopolizing the attention of adults responsible for ensuring their well-being, screens often come to take the place of activities and interactions that would be more conducive to the development of toddlers. The strategies to be deployed to limit the risks of exposure to screens for toddlers must therefore be multiple in order to offer them living environments that promote their development.
In order to maximize the potential of each child, the path forward is clear: early childhood must benefit from a human approach, with a minimum of technoference. To do this, awareness and training of stakeholders who work with children and their families are essential. Staff members in educational childcare settings, the school network and health and social services are essential partners.
In Quebec, many researchers are interested in screens and their impact on young children. However, research support helps generate evidence-based data that is essential for informing parents, training staff working with early childhood, and informing decision-making regarding strategies to be deployed on this subject in our society.
Although the current body of science shows that caution is required regarding the early and undue exposure of toddlers to screens, there are still many questions that deserve answers, and that only research can provide. In this context, we call on all decision-makers and stakeholders, whether in government, schools or educational childcare services, to adopt a cautious attitude regarding technological tools in environments frequented by toddlers. We want the full potential for each child, because their first years of life will have an impact on the health and heritage of future generations.
*Co-signed this letter: Mathieu Bégin, professor in the field of digital education in the Department of Preschool and Elementary Education at the University of Sherbrooke; Marie-Andrée Binet, doctoral candidate in health sciences at the University of Sherbrooke; Jean-François Biron, planning, programming and research officer at the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, regional public health department; Caroline Fitzpatrick, associate professor at the Canada Research Chair on Living Together, Digital Media and Children: An Ecosystemic Vision, Department of Preschool and Elementary Education at the University of Sherbrooke; Julie Poissant, professor of early childhood in the Department of Education and Specialized Training at the University of Quebec in Montreal; Langis Michaud, optometrist and full professor at the School of Optometry at the University of Montreal.