Tablet-Based eBooks for Young Children: What Does the Research Say?

Digital Media and Developing Brains: Concerns and Opportunities

Purpose of Review

The incorporation of digital technologies and their use in youth's everyday lives has been increasing rapidly over the past several decades with possible impacts on youth development and mental health. This narrative review aimed to consider how the use of digital technologies may be influencing brain development underlying adaptive and maladaptive screen-related behaviors.

Recent Findings

To explore and provide direction for further scientific inquiry, an international group of experts considered what is known, important gaps in knowledge, and how a research agenda might be pursued regarding relationships between screen media activity and neurodevelopment from infancy through childhood and adolescence. While an understanding of brain-behavior relationships involving screen media activity has been emerging, significant gaps exist that have important implications for the health of developing youth.

Summary

Specific considerations regarding brain-behavior relationships involving screen media activity exist for infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood; middle childhood; and adolescence. Transdiagnostic frameworks may provide a foundation for guiding future research efforts. Translating knowledge gained into better interventions and policy to promote healthy development is important in a rapidly changing digital technology environment.

The Relationship between Language and Technology: How Screen Time Affects Language Development in Early Life-A Systematic Review

Screen time refers to the amount of time a child is exposed to a screen, that is, television, computer, smartphone, or any other digital medium. Prolonged screen time in the first years of life may affect a child's cognitive abilities, especially language acquisition. A systematic review was conducted, following the PRISMA-P guidelines, with the aim to explore the available literature relating to the impact of screen time on children's language development. This review identified 18 articles. The articles reviewed showed that prolonged screen time and exposure to screens in the first 2 years of life can negatively affect language development and communication skills, in terms of comprehension and vocabulary range. In addition, overexposure to screens in the early years can affect overall cognitive development, especially attention to environmental stimuli, social experiences, problem solving, and communication with others, e.g., the alternance of rhythms and roles in a conversation. In conclusion, our systematic review supports the idea that preschool screen time has negative effects on children's cognitive and language development. Television seems to be the medium most detrimental to children's skills, as it is used in a passive manner and is often characterised by language and content that do not suit the child's processing mode. Future studies should increasingly focus on the digital media that children possess at an early age, such as mobile phones and tablets, and on how children relate to the online world, such as social networks.

Screen time and preschool children: Promoting health and development in a digital world

COVID-19 transformed the family media environment and spurred research on the effects of screen media exposure and use on young children. This update of a 2017 CPS statement re-examines the potential benefits and risks of screen media in children younger than 5 years, with focus on developmental, psychosocial, and physical health. Four evidence-based principles-minimizing, mitigating, mindfully using, and modelling healthy use of screens-continue to guide children's early experience with a rapidly changing media landscape. Knowing how young children learn and develop informs best practice for health care providers and early years professionals (e.g., early childhood educators, child care providers). Anticipatory guidance should now include child and family screen use in (and beyond) pandemic conditions.

3 in 1: Förderung von Sprache, Vorläuferfähigkeiten und frühem Lesen

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die (schrift–)‌sprachlichen Fähigkeiten von Kindern gelten als Schlüssel für den individuellen Bildungserfolg, und ihre Förderung ist ein zentraler Auftrag von Kindertageseinrichtungen. Fragestellung: Die Metaanalyse untersucht die Wirksamkeit von E-Books mit Vorlesefunktion, Texttracking und animierten Bildern zur simultanen Förderung von Wortschatzerwerb, phonologischer Bewusstheit und frühem Wortlesen in Kindertagesstätten (Kitas). Methode: Die Daten von 11 E-Book-Interventionen wurden mittels random-effect Modellen aggregiert. Ergebnisse: Es fand sich ein großer Effekt auf den Wortschatz, ein kleiner für Aspekte der phonologischen Bewusstheit und keiner für das frühe Wortlesen im Vergleich zum Kita-Alltag. Mit einer Wörterbuchfunktion und mit mehreren Fördereinheiten erhöhte sich der Wortschatzeffekt. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Die Befunde bieten Ansätze für die E-Book-Entwicklung und ihre Nutzung in Kitas, beziehen sich jedoch auf nichtkommerzielle Applikationen.

Tablet PC use directly affects children's perception and attention

Children currently grow up with a marked increase in interactive digital mobile media. To what extent digital media directly modulate children’s perception and attention is largely unknown. We investigated the processing of task-irrelevant auditory information while 37 children aged 6;8–9;1-years played the identical card game on a tablet PC or with the experimenter in reality. The sound sequence included repeated standard sounds and occasionally novel sounds. Event-related potentials in the EEG, that reflect sound-related processes of perception and attention, were measured. Sounds evoked increased amplitudes of the ERP components P1, P2 and P3a during the interaction with the tablet PC compared to the human interaction. This indicates enhanced early processing of task-irrelevant information and increased allocation of attention to sounds throughout the interaction with a tablet PC compared to a human partner. Results suggest direct effects of typical situations, where children interact with a tablet PC, on neuronal mechanisms that drive perception and attention in the developing brain. More research into this phenomena is required to make specific suggestions for developing digital interactive learning programs.

Neural synchrony predicts children's learning of novel words

Social interactions, such as joint book reading, have a well-studied influence on early development and language learning. Recent work has begun to investigate the neural mechanisms that underlie shared representations of input, documenting neural synchrony (measured using intersubject temporal correlations of neural activity) between individuals exposed to the same stimulus. Neural synchrony has been found to predict the quality of engagement with a stimulus and with communicative cues, but studies have yet to address how neural synchrony among children may relate to real-time learning. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we recorded the neural activity of 45 children (3.5-4.5 years) during joint book reading with an adult experimenter. The custom children's book contained four novel words and objects embedded in an unfolding story, as well as a range of narrative details about object functions and character roles. We observed synchronized neural activity between child participants during book reading and found a positive correlation between learning and intersubject neural synchronization in parietal cortex, an area implicated in narrative-level processing in adult research. Our findings suggest that signature patterns of neural engagement with the dynamics of stories facilitate children's learning.

Toddlers raised in multi-dialectal families learn words better in accented speech than those raised in monodialectal families

Multi-accent environments offer rich but inconsistent language input, as words are produced differently across accents. The current study examined, in two experiments, whether multi-accent variability affects infants' ability to learn words and whether toddlers' prior experience with accents modulates learning. In Experiment 1, two-and-a-half-year-old Norwegian toddlers were exposed, in their kindergarten, twice per day for one week, to a child-friendly audiovisual tablet-based e-book containing four novel pseudowords. Half of the toddlers heard the story in three Norwegian accents, whereas the other half heard it in one Norwegian accent. The results revealed no differences between conditions, suggesting that multi-accent variability did not hinder toddlers' word learning. In experiment 2, two-and-a-half-year-old Norwegian toddlers were exposed, in their homes, for one week, to the e-book featuring three Norwegian accents. The results revealed overall better learning in toddlers raised in bi-dialectal households, as compared to mono-dialectal peers - suggesting that accent exposure benefits learning in multi-accent environments.

Toddlers Using Tablets: They Engage, Play, and Learn

Although very young children have unprecedented access to touchscreen devices, there is limited research on how successfully they operate these devices for play and learning. For infants and toddlers, whose cognitive, fine motor, and executive functions are immature, several basic questions are significant: (1) Can they operate a tablet purposefully to achieve a goal? (2) Can they acquire operating skills and learn new information from commercially available apps? (3) Do individual differences in executive functioning predict success in using and learning from the apps? Accordingly, 31 2-year-olds (M = 30.82 month, SD = 2.70; 18 female) were compared with 29 3-year-olds (M = 40.92 month, SD = 4.82; 13 female) using two commercially available apps with different task and skill requirements: (1) a shape matching app performed across 3 days, and (2) a storybook app with performance compared to that on a matched paper storybook. Children also completed (3) the Minnesota Executive Functioning Scale. An adult provided minimal scaffolding throughout. The results showed: (1) toddlers could provide simple goal-directed touch gestures and the manual interactions needed to operate the tablet (2) after controlling for prior experience with shape matching, toddlers’ increased success and efficiency, made fewer errors, decreased completion times, and required less scaffolding across trials, (3) they recognized more story content from the e-book and were less distracted than from the paper book, (4) executive functioning contributed unique variance to the outcome measures on both apps, and (5) 3-year-olds outperformed 2-year-olds on all measures. The results are discussed in terms of the potential of interactive devices to support toddlers’ learning.

The Impact of E-Book Reading on Young Children's Emergent Literacy Skills: An Analytical Review

Young children's use of digital devices is increasing as we progress through the 21st century and handheld and mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly available. While older children using tablets to read has been more broadly investigated, less is known about the impacts of digital reading on children at the stage of literacy acquisition. An analytical review was conducted on the effects of interactive e-book interventions for young children's literacy development when compared to (a) listening to print books, (b) regular school programs, and (c) reading non-enhanced and non-interactive e-books. A significant additional beneficial effect of e-book interventions was found for phonological awareness and vocabulary learning based on data from 1138 children in 14 randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies. When e-books are properly selected and used, children develop literacy skills equally well and sometimes better than with print books. Additionally, e-book interventions outperformed the regular school program in the development of literacy skills. Similarly, enhanced e-book conditions revealed benefits over the non-enhanced e-book interventions in literacy skill acquisition. The impact of these findings related to health issues, e-book design, disadvantaged populations, and adult-led e-book sharing is discussed.

Four-Year-Old's Online Versus Face-to-Face Word Learning via eBooks

Developmental research typically relies on face-to-face testing at laboratories, childcare centers, museums or playgroups. Current social distancing measures have led to a halt in research. Although face-to-face interaction is considered essential for research involving young children, current technology provides viable alternatives. This paper introduces an accessible, replicable and easy to follow method to conduct online developmental research with young children employing a word-learning task as an exemplar, including a detailed workflow and step-by-step guide to using easily accessible programs and platforms. Four-year-old children's (N = 56) performance on a word-learning task delivered online vs. face-to-face is provided as a method validation. Children's performance on the word-learning task was predominantly consistent across delivery modes, with only slight variation in performance between modes. The implications of these similar results across face-to-face and online methods are discussed alongside avenues for further research. Importantly, this paper presents an emerging methodological approach for the online administration of developmental science both within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, adding a new tool to current and future developmental scientist's toolkits.

Determining factors in children's screen time in early childhood

The use of media by children in early childhood is increasingly common, and it is necessary to investigate the determinants of screen time, which is understood as the total child screen exposure time, including television and interactive media. This is a descriptive, exploratory, and cross-sectional study conducted with 180 children between 24 and 42 months of age, allocated in Group 1, less than two hours daily screen exposure time; Group 2, daily screen exposure time equal to or more than two hours. Bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Screen time determining factors studied were family environment, evaluated with the Family Environment Resource Inventory; socioeconomic factors; nutritional status and child development status, evaluated with the Bayley III test. As a result, 63% of children had daily screen time exceeding two hours, and television still is the main culprit for children screen exposure. We observed that screen time exposure was positively associated with family resources, economic level, and language development. However, only the last two factors explained the longer screen time.

Quality of interactive media use in early childhood and child development: a multicriteria analysis

OBJECTIVES

(1) To develop an index that allows the measurement of the quality of interactive media used by children in early childhood. (2) To verify whether there is an association between the index and cognitive development, expressive language, and fine and gross motor development.

METHODS

A quantitative, cross-sectional, exploratory study with 103 children, aged 24 to 42 months, evaluated by the Bayley Scale of Infant and Toddler Development. The criteria for the index were selected from the literature: (1) media use by parents; (2) time of daily media use; (3) media type; (4) what do you use the media for; (5) who do you use the media with (6) monitoring (limits time, content, interacts during use); (7) purpose of use; (8) parents' opinion of the media. For development of the multicriteria index, the multi-attribute utility theory was applied, and Spearman correlation and simple linear regression (p<0.05) were used to verify the association between the index and child development.

RESULTS

The index showed a positive and significant correlation with child development in the following domains: language (r=0.40, p<0.001), cognitive (r=0.23, p=0.04), and fine motor=0.22, p=0.04). Simple linear regression analysis showed that the use of interactive media accounts for 22% of language development (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The multicriteria index developed to verify the quality of interactive media used by children in early childhood showed that it has the potential to be used. The positive and significant associations between the quality of interactive media use and child development was verified, mainly regarding language.

Screen Time and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

BACKGROUND

Research is increasingly raising concerns regarding the negative consequences of children's use of screens.

SUMMARY

This article reviews the literature on the benefits and risks of screen time with attention to explaining possible reasons that children with autism are more at risk for the negative effects of screen time. Based on the science of learning literature, a framework for choosing appropriate digital media for children with autism is described. The 3-component framework considers the characteristics of the child, the context in which digital media are used, and the content of the media. Key Message: Using the framework, the speech-language pathologist will be better able to select appropriate digital media content for children with autism that is engaging (while not being distracting), encourages the child to be actively involved with the media, is meaningful in the child's life, and incorporates social interactions with others.

Functional Connectivity of Attention, Visual, and Language Networks During Audio, Illustrated, and Animated Stories in Preschool-Age Children

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents read with their children early and often and limits on screen-based media. While book sharing may benefit attention in children, effects of animated content are controversial, and the influence of either on attention networks has not previously been studied. This study involved functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of three separate active-task scans composed of similar 5-min stories presented in the same order for each child (audio → illustrated → animated), followed by assessment of comprehension. Five functional brain networks were defined a priori through literature review: dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), language (L), visual imagery (VI), and visual perception (VP). Analyses involved comparison of functional connectivity (FC) within- and between networks across formats, applying false discovery rate correction. Twenty-seven of 33 children completed fMRI (82%; 15 boys, 12 girls; mean 58 ± 8 months old). Comprehension of audio and illustrated stories was equivalent and lower for animation (p < 0.05). For illustration relative to audio, FC within DAN and VAN and between each of these and all other networks was similar, lower within-L, and higher between VI-VP, suggesting reduced strain on the language network using illustrations and imagery. For animation relative to illustration, FC was lower between DAN-L, VAN-VP, VAN-VI, L-VI, and L-VP, suggesting less focus on narrative, reorienting to imagery, and visual-language integration. These findings suggest that illustrated storybooks may be optimal at this age to encourage integration of attention, visual, and language networks, while animation may bias attention toward VP.

Children's Learning From Interactive eBooks: Simple Irrelevant Features Are Not Necessarily Worse Than Relevant Ones

The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the extent to which children's novel word learning and story comprehension differs for non-interactive eBooks and interactive eBooks with simple relevant or irrelevant interactive features that advance the narrative. An original story with novel word-object pairs was read to preschoolers (3-5 years old, N = 103) using one of the three eBook formats: non-interactive control, interactive-relevant, interactive-irrelevant. The book formats differed only in the manner in which the story advanced from one page to the next: children observed the experimenter turn the page (non-interactive), children touched a relevant image on the screen (relevant-interactive), or children touched an irrelevant image on the screen (irrelevant-interactive). Novel word learning and story comprehension were assessed with post-tests in which children picked target objects from an array and sorted story events into their original sequence, respectively. Findings indicate that word learning and story comprehension were similar across all three books, suggesting that simple interactive features - whether relevant or irrelevant to the story - had little impact on preschoolers' learning in this controlled experiment. Thus, simple interactivity that does not disrupt the story also does not hinder ongoing story comprehension.

A Combined Dietary and Cognitive Intervention in 3⁻5-Year-Old Children in Indonesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Early childhood nutritional interventions typically combine nutritional and psychosocial stimulation. Such combined interventions result in long-lasting improvements of cognitive abilities in children who are malnourished. Here, we investigated potential cognitive abilities in normally developing children in Indonesia who were, however, at risk for suboptimal cognitive development due to little psychosocial stimulation in their home environment. In a randomized controlled intervention, children of the experimental group received nutritional supplementation combined with cognitive stimulation. Pre- and post-intervention measurements included cognitive development and functioning, behavior, and mother–child interaction. The experimental and control group received nutritional supplementation in the form of a fortified or unfortified milk powder, respectively. Additionally, the children and parents of the experimental group jointly engaged in daily learning activities at home and performed iPad-based tasks designed to foster cognitive abilities. The experimental group compared to the control group displayed a significantly higher increase in intelligence quotient as well as a significantly larger reduction in attentional problems after the intervention. These results indicate that low-level cognitive stimulation in combination with nutritional supplementation during early childhood can be an effective intervention that improves global cognitive functioning in healthy developing children. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02359669.

Laying a Firm Foundation: Embedding Evidence-Based Emergent Literacy Practices Into Early Intervention and Preschool Environments

Purpose

As part of this clinical forum on curriculum-based intervention, the goal of this tutorial is to share research about the importance of language and literacy foundations in natural environments during emergent literacy skill development, from infancy through preschool. Following an overview of intervention models in schools by Powell (2018), best practices at home, in child care, and in preschool settings are discussed. Speech-language pathologists in these settings will be provided a toolbox of best emergent literacy practices.

Method

A review of published literature in speech-language pathology, early intervention, early childhood education, and literacy was completed. Subsequently, an overview of the impact of early home and preschool literacy experiences are described. Research-based implementation of best practice is supported with examples of shared book reading and child-led literacy embedded in play within the coaching model of early intervention. Finally, various aspects of emergent literacy skill development in the preschool years are discussed. These include phonemic awareness, print/alphabet awareness, oral language skills, and embedded/explicit literacy.

Results

Research indicates that rich home literacy environments and exposure to rich oral language provide an important foundation for the more structured literacy environments of school. Furthermore, there is a wealth of evidence to support a variety of direct and indirect intervention practices in the home, child care, and preschool contexts to support and enhance all aspects of oral and written literacy.

Conclusions

Application of this "toolbox" of strategies should enable speech-language pathologists to address the prevention and intervention of literacy deficits within multiple environments during book and play activities. Additionally, clinicians will have techniques to share with parents, child care providers, and preschool teachers for evidence-based literacy instruction within all settings during typical daily activities.

Apps on laps: digital storytimes in public libraries in Aotearoa New Zealand

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on a small, exploratory research project focusing on librarian and parent/caregiver opinions of, and reactions to, the use of digital media and technology in public library storytimes for preschool children in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Design/methodology/approach

Telephone interviews with librarians and an online survey of parent/caregivers were undertaken.

Findings

The research found a mixed response to digital storytimes. Those who had not attended or presented digital storytime sessions were largely opposed to the practice, while those who had participated in a storytime using digital media generally held more positive views. Key concerns were focused on the amount of screentime young children should have and a lack of human interaction. Supporters appreciated the introduction of some basic digital literacy skills and the variety that technology could bring to storytime sessions.

Research limitations/implications

Both samples were small and self-selecting. The use of an online survey meant a bias in the sample toward those with access to appropriate information communication technology as well as a self-selection bias.

Practical implications

The paper suggests some developments in practice and approach if librarians are going to play the role of media mentors in their communities.

Originality/value

This is the first study focusing on the development of digital storytimes in Aotearoa New Zealand and adds to knowledge and understanding of key stakeholder views of the inclusion of digital media and technology in public library programming for young children.

Le temps d’écran et les jeunes enfants : promouvoir la santé et le développement dans un monde numérique

Le paysage numérique évolue plus rapidement que les recherches traitant des effets des médias sur écran sur le développement, l’apprentissage et la vie familiale des jeunes enfants. Le présent document de principes porte sur les bienfaits et les risques potentiels de ces médias chez les enfants de moins de cinq ans. Il s’attarde sur la santé développementale, psychosociale et physique. Les conseils fondés sur des données probantes en vue d’optimiser et de soutenir les pratiques des jeunes enfants à l’égard des médias reposent sur quatre principes : limiter le temps d’écran, en atténuer les effets négatifs, être attentif à l’utilisation des écrans et donner l’exemple d’habitudes positives. Les connaissances sur l’apprentissage et le développement des jeunes enfants éclairent les dispensateurs de soins quant aux stratégies en matière de pratiques exemplaires.

Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world

The digital landscape is evolving more quickly than research on the effects of screen media on the development, learning and family life of young children. This statement examines the potential benefits and risks of screen media in children younger than 5 years, focusing on developmental, psychosocial and physical health. Evidence-based guidance to optimize and support children's early media experiences involves four principles: minimizing, mitigating, mindfully using and modelling healthy use of screens. Knowing how young children learn and develop informs best practice strategies for health care providers.