Gratification

Cognitive psychology

Touchscreen

Communication

Neuroscience

Social psychology

Working memory

Short-term memory

Cognition

Operating system

Psychiatry

Developmental psychology

Computer science

Executive functions

Interactivity

Psychology

Intervention (counseling)

Affect (linguistics)

Multimedia

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Children's exposure to screen-based media has raised concerns for many reasons. One reason is that viewing particular television content has been shown to negatively affect children's executive functioning. Yet, it is unclear whether interacting with a touchscreen device affects executive functioning in the same way as the television research suggests. In the current study, 96 2- and 3-year-old children completed executive functioning measures of working memory and response inhibition and task switching before and after a brief screen intervention consisting of watching an educational television show, playing an educational app, or watching a cartoon. Children's ability to delay gratification was also assessed. Results indicate that the type of screen intervention had a significant effect on executive functioning performance. Children were more likely to delay gratification after playing an educational app than after viewing a cartoon. In particular instances, children's working memory improved after playing the educational app. These findings emphasize that, for young children's executive functioning, interactivity and content may be more important factors to consider than simply "screen time."

The effects of screen media content on young children’s executive functioning