Early data point to developmental downside of parental screen time and upside of time in natureThe “Screen-free till 3” project is an outpatient care research study supported by German pediatricians to protect young children from active and passive exposure to televisions, smartphones, tablets, and computers. Based on existing research, this experiment tests the hypothesis that screen time has a negative effect on young children’s development. This ambitious 3-year study includes all children born in Germany in 2022 with healthcare providers randomly selected to support the intervention, which provides parents with study materials, an app, and a training course to encourage them to keep kids away from screens until they turn three. As part of the experiment, health care providers support the Screen-free till 3 intervention for the experimental group while providing normal care for the other children, so the researchers can compare child developmental outcomes by screen time indicators. This article only reports on the study’s initial data—a pre-intervention questionnaire about parent and child screen behavior, time in nature, and child development outcomes.
This experimental study used random sampling to assign children born in 2022 into an experimental group who received the “Screen-free till 3” intervention and a control group who did not. To provide baseline data for the 3-year study, the German research team administered a parent questionnaire that coincided with their child’s required 6-month physician’s examination. This included 16 demographic questions, 6 questions about children’s and parents’ screen media use, 8 questions about child development (including time in nature), and a 5-question instrument that assessed risky or addictive internet use by parents. The researchers conducted statistical analysis of 4021 returned questionnaires to measure correlations among screen media use, parental internet use, time in nature, and developmental characteristics for children age 5-7 months.
This article only reports baseline data from infants’ initial checkup at 5-7 months—the earliest stage of a three-year study. Preliminary study data already showed developmental differences related to child and parent screen time. More parental screen time in the presence of their child was related to less developmental progress for all motor, language, and social-emotional outcomes. Children whose parents did not use their devices around them could better engage in hand support, switch toys between hands, form rhythmic syllable chains, engage in appropriately different behavior with acquaintances vs. strangers, and express joy when another child appears. Another key finding was that the group of parents who reported their own struggles with compulsive internet use reported more screen time for their children, which had a negative effect on child development. Finally, children who spent more time in nature demonstrated stronger developmental patterns with respect to developing hand support, switching toys between hands, forming rhythmic syllable chains, laughing vocally when teased, and expressing joy when encountering other children. That is, the higher the child’s time spent in nature, the better their motor, language, and social-emotional development. Thus, exposure to nature may potentially mitigate some negative development effects of exposure to screen-based technologies.
At the earliest stage of this experimental study, findings suggest that young families use screen media on a daily basis, high media use by parents is linked to more screen time for children, and more media use by parents and children might have a negative impact on child development. These preliminary findings suggest that parental screen time in the presence of children is a risk factor for child development problems. Likewise, parents with problematic internet use are another risk factor for developmental problems in their children. Conversely, more time spent in nature could be a protective factor since it was associated with more developmental progress. However, for children who are only 5-7 months old, these associations are not strong: Screen time is associated with slightly worse developmental outcomes, and time in nature is associated with slightly better outcomes. As this 3-year study progresses, the follow up data will show if these preliminary findings point to significant developmental trends and protective effects of time spent in nature. At this point, however, the study’s baseline data supports initiatives to protect young children from passive and active screen time in the interest of healthy development.
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