23 years of neuroimaging research has revealed the impact of screen time on children’s brains. It’s not all bad
Millennials are old. The generation often cited as bridging a technological gap of pre/post internet ubiquity is pushing 40+. The following generations have had access to “screens” on a level seemingly no one could have predicted. Certainly more access than childhood researchers could keep up with.
A constant fear in parenting circles is how screen time affects children’s brains. It turns out it might not be all bad.
One study found that media use improves focusing and learning abilities in the frontal lobe of the brain and that playing video games can potentially increase cognitive demand, improving a child’s executive functions and cognitive skills.
However, screen time was tied in other studies to lower functionality in areas of the brain dealing with language and cognitive control, potentially negatively impacting a child’s cognitive development. Tablet users were also found to have more trouble with problem-solving tasks.
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