The Impact of Television and Mobile Device Screens on the Development of Children Aged 0 to 3 Years Students

Abstract

In the digital era, infants and toddlers are frequently exposed to screen media. This article eva-luates effects of screen exposure on children aged 0–3 years. A narrative integrative review synthe-sising empirical studies, meta-analyses, international and national guidelines, and recent reports, with focus on exposure measurement and contextual moderators (content quality, caregiver media-tion, socioeconomic factors).
Excessive, unmediated screen exposure is associated with delayed expressive language, re-duced contingent face-to-face interaction, poorer sleep quality and delayed sleep onset (notably with evening use), lower spontaneous physical activity, and challenges in behavioural self-regulation. Conditional benefits – such as video-calls and targeted educational or therapeutic apps – emerge mainly when media are age-appropriate and used with active caregiver engagement. Heterogeneity of measures and predominance of cross-sectional studies limit causal inference.
Recommend minimizing non-interactive screen time for under-3s, avoiding screens before bed-time, promoting caregiver-mediated uses and family media plans, and prioritizing longitudinal and intervention research.