Is using screens to calm a child bad? It depends.
A new study from The Ohio State University examines how parents using screens to calm distressed children affects cognitive development. Researchers found that the impact of 'media emotion regulation' varies significantly depending on the individual child's development.
Why it matters
As digital devices become ubiquitous in parenting, understanding their long-term effects on a child's executive functions like cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control is increasingly important.
Newswise — COLUMBUS, Ohio - In "Llama Llama Mad at Mama," a popular children's book from 2007, a little Llama Llama goes to the grocery with his mama and becomes overwhelmed by all the sounds, sights, smells and shopping decisions happening around him. In a scene familiar to every parent, the cartoon animal has an epic meltdown in his shopping cart, screaming and throwing the contents of his mom's shopping list on the floor. Mama Llama gets down to his level and calms him down by turning shopping into a fun game.
There are no cellphones or tablets in the world of Llama Llama, but if there were, who would blame Mama Llama if instead she handed her overwhelmed toddler a video to watch so she could carry on shopping in peace?
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