Effect of Early Exposure to Screen Media on Cognitive Function, Working Memory and Language in Children

Background In today’s digital era, children are exposed to screen media from an early age. They spend most of their leisure time watching television, using computers, and playing video games. The vast majority of children in the developed world, regardless of their ethnic or socioeconomic background, have access to a smart mobile device compared to other digital devices (e.g. laptops and personal computers). The vast majority of applications do not meet the standard education requirements for the children of today and tomorrow (Vaala et al, 2015). Objective this study aimed to investigate the trajectory of screen media exposure among school aged Egyptian children and its effect on developmental aspects including cognitive abilities, working memory and language in order to guide proper counseling for parents regarding screen media use and optimal environmental stimulation. Methods This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 6 months, involving children randomly selected from two schools in 6 October City, Giza Governorate. The study included a total of 160 children, aged 5 to 8 years, divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 80 children with early media exposure (defined as before 2 years old), while Group B encompassed 80 children with late or no media exposure (after the second year of life). The aim was to compare the effects of different media exposure levels on children within this age range. Results This comparative cross-sectional study examined the impact of early versus late screen exposure on children’s cognitive and language development. The study found no significant differences in age, gender, or IQ between the early (exposed before 24 months) and late (exposed after 24 months) exposure groups. However, language development was significantly impacted, with 55.0% of early exposure children showing language delays compared to 38.8% in the late exposure group. Additionally, 27.5% of early exposure children required language therapy, compared to only 5.0% in the late group. Cognitive assessments revealed that early exposure was linked to lower performance in phonological memory, visual memory, and executive function tasks, such as logical sequencing and digit coding. Delayed exposure correlated positively with better language skills, phonological memory, and executive function. Parental interaction time showed a limited impact on cognitive and language outcomes, although it did correlate with improved executive function performance. The findings suggest that the timing of screen exposure has a more significant impact on cognitive and language development than the total screen time, with earlier exposure potentially hindering developmental outcomes in these areas. Conclusion The findings of this study highlighed the significant impact of early screen exposure on children’s cognitive and language development, emphasizing that the timing of first exposure is more influential than the total duration of screen use. Children with earlier exposure to screen media exhibited weaker language skills, lower phonological memory scores, and poorer executive function performance compared to those with later exposure.