Scientists have linked parents' distraction by gadgets to children's speech development

Smartphones and other digital devices have become part of the daily lives of families, but their use can interrupt parents' communication with young children. The researchers found that when adults were distracted by gadgets, they were more likely to miss the child's attempts to attract attention, and more pronounced such distraction was associated with less developed speech skills. About how gadgets can interfere with communication between parents and children, see the Izvestia article.

Distraction by gadgets is associated with missed signals from children

The study was published in the scientific journal JAMA Pediatrics. Scientists from the University of Calgary and other Canadian universities studied the behavior of 107 pairs of parents and children aged 13 to 18 months. The researchers observed the interaction during free play and separately recorded the parents' use of digital devices and the missed signals of the child.

Signals were understood to be the baby's attempts to attract the attention of an adult through looks, sounds, gestures, or words. The analysis showed that when the parent was using a phone or a smartwatch, the probability of missing such a signal was almost six times higher. The risk ratio was 5.94.

Experts explained the influence of the parent's phone on the child's psyche

Scientists observed parents and children during the game

The session lasted about 25-30 minutes. Parents and children played with books and toys, and researchers recorded what was happening on video. Subsequently, the recordings were analyzed on a second-by-second basis, noting the moments when parents used gadgets and situations when the child's signals remained unanswered against this background.

This approach allowed us to study not just the total amount of time an adult spends with a phone, but the direct relationship between device use and a specific episode of communication. Before or after the laboratory visit, parents also reported on the children's language skills, in particular, the words that the child understands and uses.

The more often the parents were distracted, the fewer words the children knew.

Researchers have found a link between the severity of so-called technoference and children's speech skills. The more often parents missed their child's signals due to the use of gadgets, the lower the indicators of understanding and using words.

The authors suggest that repeated interruptions may mean fewer opportunities for a child to receive an adult's response at the moment when he is trying to communicate. Such episodes are important for early language acquisition, as the child learns new words and ways of communication in the process of direct interaction with others.

At the same time, the study does not prove that the use of smartphones by parents directly causes a delay in speech development. The work was cross-sectional, so causal relationships cannot be established.

Attention to the screen: parents change communication with children to video content

Gadgets interfere with speech development and inhibit the formation of neural connections

It's not about completely abandoning phones.

The researchers note that it is unrealistic to completely exclude digital devices from parents' lives. Phones and other gadgets are used for work, communicating with loved ones, making appointments, organizing family affairs, and searching for information.

According to the authors, the problem lies not in the fact of using technology itself, but in repetitive situations when the device takes the attention of an adult at the moment of interaction with a child. The authors claim that the goal is not for parents to completely abandon screens, but to protect time from digital distractions.

Free time from gadgets helps to keep communication going

The authors suggest creating periods in which digital devices do not compete for the attention of parents and children. It can be playing together, reading, eating, or walking. At the same time, scientists emphasize that a single distraction is unlikely to determine the further development of a child. It is the repeatability of such situations and the number of missed opportunities for communication that can be important.

The researchers also note the limitations of the work: the monitoring took place in a laboratory, and most of the parents had higher education. Therefore, the results have yet to be tested in more diverse groups and in conditions of ordinary family life.