My colleagues and I identified these groups based on data analysis from 10,460 American schoolchildren followed up over six years. Understanding which children are frequent users of online technologies is important because such use can displace activities appropriate to development, including physical activity, sleep and independent reading of books.
We found that kindergarten children who were aggressive or frequently staged were more likely to use these technologies online several times a day at the end of elementary school, as were children from low-income families. Black children were also more likely to later be frequent users of online technologies.
Boys were more likely to be frequent users of online games, while girls were more likely to be large users of social networking and messaging.
Children of parents who emphasized early literacy activities and who set limits on watching TV were less likely later to be frequent users of online technologies.
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Why does it matter
The increasingly frequent use of online technologies by children – such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking applications; games via Xbox, PlayStation or smartphones; and messages via WhatsApp, Snapchat or texts – worries parents, educators and health professionals, for good reason.
The frequent use of online technologies may be replacing activities beneficial to development – think about physical activities, sleep, parent-child interactions and independent reading of books. Children who use online technologies many times a day are more likely to be sedentary, lack sleep and be overweight; fight academically or behaviorally at school; and self-report worse quality of life and mental health. Children’s use of online technologies also increased dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our study provides new information about which kindergarten students in the United States are most likely to later be frequent users of online technologies. This new information can help inform public health campaigns for families most at risk. Routines that promote optimal levels of online technology use, physical activity, sleep, reading books and other activities should help children develop physically, cognitively, academically and behaviorally.
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What is not yet known
Our study has limitations. Our results can be conservative because children reported the frequency with which they used online technologies. Data collection ended before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our results are not causal. We are not sure why specific groups of children are more likely to later be frequent users of online technologies. However, we have some hypotheses. Parents in low-income families may allow more screen time as they deal with greater demands on their own time and resources. Parents of children who act badly can use electronic devices to calm their children’s outbursts. Early experiences with racial discrimination can lead black children to use online technologies frequently to connect with similar peers and express their racial or ethnic identities.
And it is important to recognize that there is only limited evidence that the use of online technologies by children is harmful. Any damage can be limited to frequent users of specific technologies from specific populations. Further studies and analyzes are needed to examine these relationships. In the future, online technologies can be designed to promote healthy behaviors, including by vulnerable populations.
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What is the next
Identifying, at this early stage, which young children are most likely to later be frequent users of online technologies can help families prevent problematic use.
For example, other research suggests that girls may be especially susceptible to being harmed by frequent social networks due to increased exposure to cyberbullying and a feeling of dissatisfaction with body weight, as well as decreased sleep and exercise. Our study found that girls are already more likely to use these technologies a lot at the end of elementary school. Limiting social media and messaging during this early development period can be particularly important.
Setting screen time routines that help children comply with recommended guidelines for physical play, sleep, reading books and other beneficial developmental activities can help prevent overuse of online technologies. Limiting children’s access during homework, shared meals and up to an hour before bed can also help. Families can define rules that limit access to electronic devices. Parents can encourage literacy activities that help children become independent readers.
Educators and health professionals can inform parents about the negative associations repeatedly observed between frequent use of online technologies and children’s development, as well as supporting and helping families establish screen time routines.
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Paul L. Morgan is an Eberly fellow, professor of education and demography and director of the Center for Educational Disparities Research at Penn State.