The effects of screen habits on attentional skills and prosocial behaviors in 6-to 36-month-old toddlers.

ABSTRACT: The rise of digital tools in the 21st century has significantly increased screen exposure among toddlers, raising concerns about its impact on their overall psychological development. Since attentional skills and prosocial behaviors play a key role in the development of toddlers' cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, the current research explores the links between screen habits of 6- to 36-month-old toddlers and their development of attentional skills and prosocial behaviors. For this purpose, we observed 148 toddlers, assessing their screen exposure via parental questionnaires and developmental outcomes using a variety of conventional experimental tasks. The main results showed that toddlers aged 6 to 18 months already exposed to screens exhibited fewer joint attention behaviors.

SUBMITTER: Gillioz E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12748634 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature