Screen Time and the Developing Brain

Let’s cut to the chase

No one is going to stop you or shame you for using screens to entertain your child. A twenty minute show gets everyone fed and clean, and you don’t need a developmental psychologist to tell you that. What is worth knowing is how they affect young and developing brains, so that you can feel secure in your choices.

What the science generally agrees on

The brain expects stimulation every couple of seconds in the case of these kinds of shows. Something else simply isn’t able to offer that, and so for a little while afterwards seems comparatively boring. Most worrying is the effect on youngest children and most stimulating content.

Content and company are more important than consumption time

A slower paced show watched with a parent who talks about what is happening is significantly different from the same show watched alone, and twenty minutes difference between the two can be immense.

Our recommendations are simple, if a little harder to implement

• Prefer slower paced content to faster shows.
• Watch with a child where you can and discuss it afterwards.
• Avoid screens immediately before bed and before mealtimes.
• Disable autoplay so something isn’t just continually following the next.
• Avoid background TV entirely, as it dramatically reduces the amount of language processed by children.

Our recommendations aren’t prescriptive, merely informative

There is nothing wrong with screen time, only that it tends to push out other activities which are of benefit to a child, particularly very young ones. What we recommend is less than average, consciously engaged and not in the period immediately preceding conversation or reading.

Want to get a feeling for a Shichida class before making any decisions? The easiest way to do that is to just attend one. Message us on WhatsApp to book your trial and we’ll show you what level is right for your child.

Sources & Further Reading

For readers who would like to explore the research on early media use, language development, and young brain architecture, the following authoritative organisations offer evidence-based guidance:

1. American Academy of Pediatrics. Media and Young Minds: Policy Statement on Early Media Use.
2. World Health Organization. Guidelines on Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep for Children Under 5 Years of Age.
3. NHS. Best Start in Life: Listening, Early Language & Screen Time Guidance.
4. Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University. Brain Architecture & Serve and Return Interaction in Early Childhood.