By Saron Gebereegziabhier
Trinity Times Correspondent

During the last academic year, Trinity Washington University student Ana Bonilla Melendez noticed her 2-year-old son’s strong attraction to electronic devices. She began to wonder if that could be contributing to his delayed speech.

Like any dedicated public health major and mother, Bonilla, now a senior, began researching the effects of early screen exposure on young children’s cognitive, emotional and social development.

Bonilla consulted with developmental psychologist Associate Professor Deborah Harris O’Brien and cognitive psychologist Postdoctoral Fellow Rachel Poirier, both at Trinity, during her research. Their insights helped deepen her understanding of how screen time affects children’s cognitive, emotional and social development.

Bonilla’s project began two semesters ago in an honors course, motivated by her experience as a parent. She quickly identified potential risks such as disrupted sleep patterns and delayed language development — issues that felt personal given her son’s current speech delays.

“Too much screen time is really bad for them,” Bonilla told Trinity Times. “It can affect their sleep pattern. It can delay their language, so basically, they don’t start learning to speak as soon as they should.” 

Despite these concerns, Bonilla recognizes the practical challenges many parents face when trying to limit screen time.

“My thing is,” she said, “I come to school, and I go to work. It’s difficult just to take technology away.”

Harris O’Brien cited guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which recommends “no screen time whatsoever, including TV digital devices for children under 18 months old” and “no more than a total of one hour per day” for children aged 18 months to 5 years.

She emphasized the idea of “displacement,” noting that time spent on screens often replaces more developmentally beneficial activities.

“The time that they are involved with screens they are displaced from doing other developmentally appropriate activities — playing, interacting with parents, interacting with peers, even solitary play,” Harris O’Brien said.

Poirier added that excessive screen exposure may interfere with joint attention and shared focus between caregiver and child — both crucial for developing memory and language.

“To develop memory, to develop language, it’s important to really interact with the immediate world around a toddler,” Poirier said, “and getting that one-sidedness from the media can be really damaging to those processes.”

She noted that active caregiver involvement during screen time can mitigate some negative effects through “scaffolding,” where adults help children process and interact with what they’re watching.

Recent research shows disparities in screen time linked to socioeconomic status and ethnicity.

“African American and Latinx toddlers are more likely to watch TV than white children,” Harris O’Brien said. “This is believed to be related to socioeconomic status. Minority families have less resources. And they (often) don’t have the financial resources to provide for babysitters or nannies.”

Both professors stressed the importance of high-quality content. They praised educational programming such as Sesame Street, which research has shown can promote literacy and pro-social behavior.

“There are some educational shows … things like Sesame Street that can improve vocabulary and literacy skills,” Harris O’Brien said. “And shows like Barney have been found in research to increase pro-social behavior — things like sharing, taking turns, developing empathy.”

“Not all media is equal,” Poirier added. “Staring at a cartoon like Tom and Jerry … is not going to be as advantageous as something like Sesame Street that has really been designed by educators.”

Bonilla underscored that she has used child-friendly videos to help her son learn basic skills, and while his speech is still delayed, she has seen some progress.

“I have downloaded videos of Cocomelon that shows them how they can learn the alphabet … and how to brush the teeth,” she said. “He knows how to number from one to four.”

Acknowledging the complexity of modern parenting, the experts advised parents to approach screen time with mindfulness and empathy rather than guilt.

“I would advise them to give themselves some compassion,” Harris O’Brien said. “Parenting is very difficult. I would tell them not to feel guilty, but to be very mindful and not just use it as a default.”

They recommended setting reasonable limits, avoiding screens near bedtime to support better sleep, and prioritizing interactive activities over passive viewing.

“Technology is so new in our lives,” Poirier said. “It’s completely possible to live a fulfilled life without technology. That said, is that necessarily realistic? Probably not in 2025 and beyond. So, it is important to be responsible with it.”

Bonilla’s continuing research highlights the multifaceted impacts of early screen exposure on child development, blending insights from examination with the lived experiences of parents. As technology becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, thoughtful strategies, quality content, and caregiver involvement remain key to promoting healthy childhood development.