New study links problematic media use in toddlers to long-term emotional issues

A new longitudinal study published in Computers in Human Behavior has revealed concerning findings about problematic media use in young children. The research highlights that children as young as two years old can exhibit excessive and pathological media use, which is linked to long-term social and emotional problems.

Problematic media use is defined as excessive and pathological engagement with media that significantly interferes with daily social and emotional functioning. This phenomenon manifests in behaviors such as difficulty transitioning away from media, preoccupation with screen media, sneaking media use, or even lying to parents about media consumption. Unlike general screen time, which measures the amount of time spent on screens, problematic media use captures the negative impact of media on a child’s ability to interact socially, manage emotions, and participate in everyday activities.

Most existing studies on problematic media use have concentrated on adolescents and adults, with limited research on young children. Given the increasing presence of digital media in children’s lives from a very early age, researchers sought to provide a better understanding of how problematic media use begins and evolves in early childhood.

“I have studied problematic media use in adolescence for a number of years and wanted to see if the roots began in early childhood. It would be wonderful if we could intervene when kids are young to prevent serious problems with media later on in life,” said study author Sarah M. Coyne, a professor human development at Brigham Young University.

The study was part of Project M.E.D.I.A., a longitudinal research project aimed at understanding child development in a media-saturated environment. The researchers recruited 500 primary caregivers with infants under the age of one year from various sources. For the current analysis, data from 269 primary caregiver-infant dyads who participated in four annual waves of data collection were used. The children in the study ranged in age from 2.5 to 5.5 years old during these waves.

Parents reported on their children’s problematic media use using the nine-item Problematic Media Use Measure Short Form. This measure assesses behaviors such as preoccupation with media, withdrawal, and deception about media use. Additionally, parents reported how frequently their child viewed television content on any device.

Child emotional and social problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist at both the beginning and end of the study period. This tool evaluated emotional reactivity, anxiety/depression, withdrawal, and aggression. Parental behaviors, including restrictive media monitoring and parental warmth, were assessed using a modified version of the Perceived Parental Media Mediation Scale and the Early Growth and Development Indicator-Indicator of Parent-Child Interaction.

The researchers found that problematic media use begins as early as 2.5 years old and tends to increase steadily throughout early childhood. Emotional reactivity, aggression, and higher television viewing time at 2.5 years old were significant predictors of initial levels of problematic media use. In other words, children with higher emotional reactivity and aggression, and those who watched more television, showed higher initial levels of problematic media use.

Higher initial levels of problematic media use were associated with increased social and emotional problems four years later. Children who exhibited higher levels of problematic media use at 2.5 years old had more anxiety, depression, withdrawal, social problems, and aggressive behavior by age 5.5. Additionally, children who showed a more rapid increase in problematic media use over the study period were more likely to display higher levels of aggression at age 5.5, even when initial aggression levels were accounted for.

“Problematic media use begins as early as age two years old and is associated with long-term social and emotional problems,” Coyne told PsyPost. “Be aware of the symptoms of problematic media use and focus on teaching self-regulation skills in early childhood.”

Interestingly, the study did not find significant associations between early parental restrictive media monitoring or warmth/acceptance and the development of problematic media use. This suggests that children’s own regulatory dispositions — such as their emotional reactivity and aggression — are more influential in shaping their media use patterns than the specific parenting behaviors examined in this study.

“There were not as many predictors of problematic media use growth as I expected, particularly in the parenting realm,” Coyne said. “I would love to follow these kids over time to see how early parenting will influence children’s problematic use across development.”

The findings demonstrate the importance of addressing problematic media use early in childhood. However, the study focused on child media use but did not extensively examine the broader family media ecology. Factors such as parental media use, technoference (technology interference in parent-child interactions), and siblings’ media habits could also play significant roles in shaping children’s media use patterns and should be explored in future studies.

“Really young children are not great at self-regulation, so some dysregulation around media is expected,” Coyne noted. “It will be important to see how this grows over time, especially as kids develop their regulatory skills. I would love to follow this sample into adolescence to see how problematic use looks like over the course of development.”

The study, “The growth of problematic media use over early childhood: Associations with long-term social and emotional outcomes,” was authored by Sarah M. Coyne, Jane Shawcroft, Hailey Holmgren, Chenae Christensen-Duerden, Sarah Ashby, Adam Rogers, Peter J. Reschke, Rachel Barr, Sarah Domoff, Megan Van Alfen, Madeleine Meldrum, and Chris L. Porter.