Interactive media use and early childhood development

The study by Juliana Nobre et al. in this issue introduces a novel instrument to assess interactive media use in children younger than 4 years. 1 The development of this instrument is well-timed.Society is confronted with an explosive increase in the use of interactive media.Recent data from the United States illustrate the changes in media use. 2 In 2011, 41% of American 0---8 year olds had a smartphone in the home, whereas in 2017 this number had increased to 95%.Despite the increase in mobile devices, children's overall screen time did not increase.Children continued to use screen media on average well over two hours per day.Yet, the relative time spent with mobile devices increased from 4% to 35% of total screen time.Also, the majority of the youngest children nowadays use mobile devices: in 2013---2014, 30---44% of children younger than 1 year used a mobile device, and 77---90% of 2-year-olds (studies in the United States 3 and France). 4 Unlike the computer's keyboard and mouse that require considerable fine motor coordination, the touch