📱 What science really says about screen time at age 1

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably asked yourself a hundred times: Is it really that bad if my baby watches a few videos? Between cooking, working, and surviving toddler life, sometimes a cartoon feels like the only way to get five quiet minutes.

I get it — I’ve been there. But I’m also the type who likes to dig into the facts.Recently, I read a large research study from Japan published in JAMA Pediatrics (2023), and it completely changed how I look at screens in early childhood.

---

🧠 The Study in Simple Words

Researchers from Tohoku University followed 7,097 mothers and their babies from birth as part of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project — one of the largest and most detailed studies on early development ever conducted.
Their goal was simple but important: to understand whether screen time at age 1 had any long-term effect on how children developed by ages 2 and 4.

Parents were asked how long their one-year-old spent each day in front of screens — including TVs, tablets, and phones — and the children were grouped into four categories:

At ages 2 and 4, researchers tested each child across five areas of development using a globally recognised tool called the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3):

1. Communication (language and understanding)

2. Gross motor (big body movements like walking and climbing)

3. Fine motor (small, precise movements like grasping objects)

4. Problem-solving (logic, memory, and curiosity)

5. Personal and social skills (interaction and emotional awareness)

Children who scored well below the average (more than two standard deviations) in any category were considered to have a developmental delay.

What the researchers found was both fascinating and sobering: the more screen time at age 1, the higher the risk of developmental delays — especially in communication and problem-solving.

---

🧩 The Key Takeaway: More Screen Time, More Delays

The results showed a dose-response pattern — meaning the risk went up steadily with each additional hour of screen time.

📊 Here’s what they found:

A

The more time babies spent on screens at age 1, the more likely they were to show delays in language and thinking skills later.
The pattern was consistent and striking — a dose-response effect: more screen time, higher risk.

🗣 Communication (language)

• 1 to < 2 hours/day: 1.61 × higher risk of delay at age 2

• 2 to < 4 hours/day: 2.04 × higher risk

• 4 + hours/day: 4.78 × higher risk at age 2 and 2.68 × higher risk at age 4

🧩 Problem-solving (reasoning)

• 2 to < 4 hours/day: 1.40 × higher risk at age 2

• 4 + hours/day: 2.67 × higher risk at age 2 and 1.91 × higher risk at age 4

✋ Fine motor skills

• 4 + hours/day: 1.74 × higher risk of delay at age 2

💬 Personal & social skills

• 4 + hours/day: 2.10 × higher risk of delay at age 2

In other words, the effect didn’t just disappear over time — it lingered as the children grew.

Interestingly, there was no strong connection between screen time and physical (gross motor) development — suggesting that the main impact is on how children think, speak, and interact rather than how they move.

---

🧠 Why Screens Affect Early Development

The researchers explain that babies learn through doing and interaction, not passive watching.
A baby’s brain develops over a million neural connections every second in the first few years of life — built through eye contact, movement, sound, and human touch.

When you talk to your baby, they watch your lips, listen to your tone, and respond — even with tiny gestures. Every one of those moments is a mini wiring session for the brain.
Screens, on the other hand, can’t replicate that dance. They give stimulation, but not feedback.

This lack of two-way communication may be why screen time affects language, reasoning, and social awareness — the areas most shaped by human connection.

---

💛 The Hard Truth (and Hope)

If you’re thinking, “But sometimes I just need to cook or shower,” you’re absolutely right — every parent does.
This isn’t about guilt; it’s about awareness.

The study reminds us that the first three years are a critical window for brain development. Once certain pathways for communication, attention, and emotional regulation aren’t strengthened during this period, the brain can adapt later — but not as easily.

So yes, try to avoid screens until age 3, even when it feels impossible.
It’s hard work, especially on long days. But every small effort — every song, walk, and block tower — matters more than we realise.

If you need a break (because you’re human):

• 👶 Give your child real-world “busy play” — a safe drawer of bowls and spoons, sensory toys, or a bit of water play.

• 🎶 Swap video time for music or audiobooks. The brain still gets rhythm and language, but with imagination involved.

• 🌿 Get outside — even ten minutes a day of outdoor play has measurable benefits for attention and mood.

---

🧸 Introducing Screens the Right Way

When your child turns three, you can begin to introduce some screen time — but make it intentional.

• Pick slow-paced, calm, and thoughtful content.

• Avoid fast cuts, flashing lights, and intense colours.

• Choose stories that teach empathy, kindness, and curiosity.

• Whenever possible, watch together and talk about what’s happening.

Ask simple questions (“What colour is that?”, “How do you think they feel?”), mimic sounds, and connect what you see to real life. That’s what turns viewing into learning.

---

💬 The Bigger Picture

Screens can be useful tools — but they can’t replace the magic of shared time.
Your face, your voice, your hands — those are your child’s first teachers.

Even if you reduce screen time by just 20 minutes a day, that’s 20 more minutes of eye contact, words, and exploration — the kind of experiences that build lifelong focus and emotional intelligence.

Remember: kids don’t need perfection, they need presence.

---

🧾 Quick Recap of the Study

• Study: 7,097 children, Japan (2013–2017)

• Published: JAMA Pediatrics, August 2023

• Finding: Screen time at age 1 was linked to higher odds of developmental delays at ages 2 and 4, especially in communication and problem-solving.

• Highest risk: Children watching 4+ hours/day had up to 4.8× greater odds of communication delays.

• No major link to physical motor skills.

• Key takeaway: Early screens don’t just entertain — they shape how the brain grows. Real interaction still matters most.

---

❤️ Final Thought

I know how tempting screens can be when life is chaotic. We all need a breather sometimes. But even those tiny moments of human connection — talking, playing, singing, exploring — are the real “apps” that wire your child’s brain for confidence, empathy, and curiosity.

Let’s raise thinkers, not watchers. 🌿

---

Reference:
Takahashi I, Obara T, Tsuchiya K, et al. Association Between Screen Time Exposure Among Children Aged 1 Year and Developmental Delay at Ages 2 and 4 Years. JAMA Pediatrics, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057