In today’s almost totally technologically forward society, the usage of smartphones is a given. Smartphones can do everything from organize your daily calendar, turn on your lights when you are not home, walk you step-by-step on how to accomplish the most difficult tasks and more. Since smartphones and tablets have a wealth of things to keep mom and dad busy, many parents hand over their devices to their children to keep them busy as well. But, can this amazing technology cause a delay in younger children’s speech development? One Canadian study says yes.
Recently, it was revealed that children who are exposed to smartphones for a long period of time experience delays in speaking in comparison to those who don’t get a lot of screen time.
The study goes on to say that younger children are unable to make the connection between IRL, (in real life), and the on-screen version, causing them to began to perform only one task at at time. Children can either talk or listen; therefore, if they spend excessive amounts of time with the digital babysitter, listening and watching, they are more likely to speak later than other children. This also applies to children who are exposed to nothing but educational content as well.
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