UDC 373.2
PhD student of Mozyr State Pedagogical University
PhD, Head of the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology of Childhood,
Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno
The topicality of preventing the negative impact of gadgets on the development of the speech competence in pre-school children
As numerous studies show, in recent years there has been an unreasonably early acquaintance of children with electronic devices (computers, smartphones, tablets, etc.), prolonged and uncontrolled interaction with them. According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of children under 8 own their own smartphone. That’s up from 7 percent just 4 years ago.That active use of gadgets negatively affects many aspects of children’s development.
Every year there are more and more children with problems of speech development of one or another complexity, with the general underdevelopment of speech, in which the development of all components of the speech system related to its sound and meaningful aspect is disrupted in children with normal hearing and intelligence. Children suffering from such disorders have a limited language; some do not speak at all, which allows us to talk about a violation of the process of the development of the speech competence in them at the required age level.
A study from the Hospital for Sick Children in Canada (C. Birken) followed almost 900 young children between six months and two years of age [1]. They found that the toddlers who were exposed to more handheld screen time were more likely to have delayed expressive language skills (i.e., the child’s ability to say words and sentences was delayed). They also found that for every 30-minute increase in daily handheld screen time, there was a 49 % increased risk of expressive language delay.
Another study surveyed over 1,000 parents of children under the age of two [4]. They found that toddlers who watched more videos said fewer words. For each additional hour of videos that eight- to 16-month-old infants watched in a day, they said an average of six to eight fewer words.
These studies show that increased screen time places infants at risk for expressive language delays and can result in young children saying fewer words.
At the same time, there is another aspect of this problem associated with overreliance on gadgets of the pre-schoolers’ parents themselves. The research undertaken by Zimmerman et al. found that adult vocalizations and adult-child conversational turns resulted in higher CDI language scores, whereas increased TV time decreased scores. Further, higher parent-child conversational turn exchanges resulted in improved infant/toddler language skills. Moreover, increased conversational interactions enable the child to practice vocalizing and using language while listening to adult models and corrections [5].
- Kirkorian notes that «the degree to which parents themselves are passionate about electronic devices can be the reason for the violation of their interaction with the child…. How many parents play subject games and how much and how they talk to their children is a very powerful predictor of how children will develop» [2, p. 1351].
However, in modern conditions, it is impossible to completely isolate the child from interaction with electronic devices. It is important to establish the necessary optimal interaction of the child with gadgets, as well as pedagogically direct this interaction towards supporting the development of the speech competence in the child, given there are separate studies confirming that with the right content and context, digital devices can help overcome difficulties in the child’s development, and as for children between the ages of three and five, it is quite possible, that a well-developed application can help improve vocabulary. But first, we must find the answer for the row of questions like these: «First, it’s important to distinguish between types of screen: do we mean a television screen, a tablet, a smartphone or an e-reader? Second, the nature of the content matters: is it an interactive drawing game, an e-book, a Skype call with Grandma or a stream of Netflix Kids videos? Thirdly, there’s the context: is there a caregiver in the room talking to the child as they interact with the screen or are they left on their own?» [3].
Although there has recently been a sharp increase in the number of electronic means and resources in the world, including those intended directly for preschool children, holistic studies devoted to solving the problem of the negative impact of gadgets on various aspects of the child’s development, including their speech competence, have not actually been carried out.The existing research lacks conclusive findings and explanations regarding the relationship between screen time and the risk of poor development of the speech competence. Future research needs to be conducted to identify a definitive relationship between screen time and the language competence development in pre-school children.
Bibliographic list
- Handheld screen time linked with speech delays in young children // Ashawire [Electronic source].– The date of access: 12.03.2023. – The mode of access: https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.RIB1.22082017.16.
- Kirkorian, L. The impact of background television on parent-child interaction / H. L. Kirkorian and others // Child Development. – 2009. – V. 80. – P. 1350–1359.
- Solon, O. Does spending too much time on smartphones and tablets damage kids’ development? [Electronic source] / O. – The date of access: 14.03.2023. – The mode of access: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/does-spending-too-much-time-on-smartphones-and-tablets-damage-kids-de-velopment-a7067261.html.
- Zimmerman, J. Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. / F. J. Zimmerman, D. A. Christakis, A. N. Meltzoff // The Journal of Pediatrics. – 2007. – № 151. – P. 364–368.
- Zimmerman, J. Teaching by listening: the importance of adult-child conversations to language development / F. J. Zimmerman and others // Pediatrics. – 2009. – № 124(1):342-9.DOI: 10.1542/peds.2008-2267.
