Does device use harm cognitive functioning in early childhood? Exploring the effects on inhibitory control with 3.5-year-olds in the U.S.

Abstract

Electronic devices have started to take a prominent presence in young children’s lives. The present research explored the relation between 3.5-year-olds’ device use and inhibitory control (IC), a component of executive functions. The age represents the transitional year when many children begin to attend preschool. Thirty-two children completed two tasks (Simon Says and Statue) that measured their inhibition of bodily actions. Children also played with tangible and digital puzzles as a study context to observe their spatial play. Parents filled out a survey on children’s prior experience with digital and non-digital activities and a questionnaire on children’s characteristics focusing on persistence and restlessness. The results indicated that IC was associated negatively with TV-watching time on devices and positively with non-digital reading time but was unrelated to overall exposure to devices. In addition, IC was linked positively to completion of puzzles and children’s persistence in spatial play especially with tangible puzzles. Together, the finding underscores the importance of considering the types of activities that children engage in with devices when examining the relation between technology use and cognitive functioning.