Tablets generate anger and frustration in children

According to a new studyyoung children who use tablets a lot have more outbursts of anger and frustration.

315 children included in the study

“For three years, we studied a sample of 315 children aged 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 years in Nova Scotia,” first explain the authors of the investigation in their report. “Parents reported how much time their child spent on average each day using tablets and how often they expressed anger or frustration during daily activities,” they continue.

After collecting all their data, the researchers found that the children in the cohort spent an average of 55 minutes per day using tablets at age 3.5, 57 minutes per day using tablets at 4.5 years and one hour per day using tablets at age 5.5.

“We found that for every 73 minutes increase in tablet use at age 3.5, there was a significant increase in the expression of anger and frustration at age 4 ,5 years”, say the scientists. “Children who expressed anger and frustration more frequently at age 4.5 also increased their tablet use time by 17 minutes at age 5.5,” they add.

“Parents should closely monitor tablet usage”

“Our results indicate that parents should closely monitor tablet use in the early years,” they also believe. “Parents should also avoid using tablets as a calming tool, particularly with children who may have difficulty regulating their emotions and behavior,” they add.

The authors of the study end their report by highlighting some limitations of their work and making plans for the future. “Future work could examine the roles of tablet content on children. For example, using a tablet to read e-books or to watch YouTube videos may have different effects on the young consumer,” they emphasize.

40% of 4 year olds have smartphones or tablets

In France, 40% of 4-year-old children now have smartphones or tablets.

For Arcom and our Ministry of Health, the screens are not “not suitable for children under 3 years old because they can slow down their development”.