Television content exposure in toddlerhood: Profiles, predictors, and developmental correlates in New Zealand

Television viewing is a common feature of early childhood, including toddlerhood; however, evidence regarding the developmental implications of different types of television content in toddlerhood remains limited. The present study examined television viewing in two-year-old children across seven content dimensions, including pace, prosocial content, antisocial and aggressive content, educational strategies, depictions of emotions, mental state talk, and cultural consciousness. Data from 5,338 two-year-old children and their mothers was obtained from the prospective, longitudinal Growing Up in New Zealand study. Latent profile analysis was used to identify five distinct profiles with regards to child media content exposure. Children with certain pre-disposing factors such as negative emotionality and within certain contexts, including less educated parents and fewer screen media rules in place, were more likely to be exposed to content containing high levels of antisocial content presented in a visually fast-paced fashion. Exposure to fast-paced, antisocial content at age 2 was then in turn associated with higher levels of peer problems and emotional symptoms and lower vocabulary and affective knowledge at age 4. Findings highlight the importance of considering both quantity and quality when evaluating the impacts of early childhood media use. Television viewing is common in toddlerhood, and different content characteristics have been linked to child development. However, research has typically examined individual content characteristics in isolation, rather than considering multiple, co-occurring dimensions of children’s television exposure. Distinct profiles of television content exposure were identified among two-year-olds. Exposure to fast-paced, antisocial content was associated with particular child and family characteristics and predicted poorer social-emotional, vocabulary, and affective knowledge outcomes at age four. Findings highlight the importance of considering what young children watch, not only how much. Parents and practitioners should consider content quality alongside screen time, while policymakers and content creators can support greater access to developmentally appropriate content for young children.