Effects of Exposure to Digital Devices on Language Development of Preschoolers Efeitos da Exposição a Dispositivos Digitais no Desenvolvimento da Linguagem em Idade Pré-Escolar

Abstract

In the last decades, digital devices have become a central part in our lives. Nowadays, infants are already exposed to a handful of digital media. It is unclear what’s the impact of these new habits on preschoolers’ language development. Here, we have reviewed the most relevant papers published on this subject since the year 2000. From the 10 selected papers, seven analyzed the duration of exposure and five the type of media content. Five papers found a negative association between the duration of exposure to digital devices and language development, while only two papers found benefits. From the five papers analyzing media content only one showed a positive association between visualization of educational programs and a healthy language development. The authors recommend limited and parent-accompanied usage of digital devices by preschoolers.