Screen technology, parent-child interactions, and neurocognitive development in early childhood

The first five years of life, especially the preschool years (3-5 years), are a significant period of cognitive development that sets the foundation for life-long social, emotional, and mental health. Recent advances in technology have resulted in the increased use of mobile screen devices (e.g., tablets, smartphones) during early childhood that didn't exist in previous generations. This exposure has intensified with COVID-19. Research has not kept pace with the technological and cultural changes. Therefore, we lack evidence about how young children's engagement with this new technology impacts their cognitive development. Furthermore, it is unclear if parents can moderate effects. Utilizing a sample of preschoolers and their parents, this study will address these substantial evidence gaps by examining: 1) screen time patterns, 2) the association between screen time patterns and cognitive development overtime, 3) the differences in quality of parent-child interactions during three sedentary behaviour tasks (i.e., television viewing, game app, storybook reading), and 4) the influence of parent-child interaction quality on the association between screen time patterns and cognitive development. A total of 360 preschool children at ages 3, 3.5, or 4 years will be recruited and data collection will occur at three time-points over 1 year (baseline, 6 months, 12 months). Screen time patterns (e.g., device, type, content, context) will be measured with an online diary completed by parents daily for 2 weeks. Cognitive development, including memory, impulse control, language, and self-control, will be measured virtually via Zoom. The quality of parent-child interactions will be determined by observing three tasks (i.e., television show, game app, storybook reading) virtually via Zoom. The novel findings from this study will help to inform guideline updates, health promotion initiatives, and future interventions targeting healthy development in our youngest Canadians.