Australian researchers analysed studies from across the world to reveal the findings.
New research from Australia has found that children aged between 4 and 6-years-old who spend longer using technology are more likely to have negative wellbeing.
And with technology now everywhere in modern life, even in children’s toys, this is certainly a cause for concern.
In their paper, Digital Technology Use and Well-being in Young Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, researchers from Deakin University in Geelong analysed 51 existing studies from 20 countries across the world, which included observations from over 83,000 parents.
Wellbeing areas measured
They measured the relationship between children’s technology use against four areas of wellbeing:
- psychosocial – measuring happiness
- social function – measuring social skills
- parent-child relationship – the levels of harmony and conflict
- behavioural function – the absence/occurrence of issues such as depression and anxiety.
The results revealed that those children spending less time on devices scored higher on all four areas of wellbeing.
The effects of the type of content young children consume is part of ongoing research by Australian researchers.
Moderation is key
Clearly, using technology in moderation is key for young children, and, without the skills to self-regulate their use, guidance from parents and carers will help ensure a balance between technology-based and non-tech-based activity.
Parents can consider supplementing its use with activities that encourage creativity (imaginary play), social skills (playing with friends) and literacy (reading books for pleasure that spark imagination and creativity). Even talking to children about their technology use (e.g. characters in cartoons or educational games) helps to strengthen social and oracy skills and create positive experiences to help mitigate any negative effects.
