A study shows that watching television with young children can be beneficial rather than detrimental to their development.
It was discovered that age-appropriate programming can reinforce learning and improve conversation skills.
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Portsmouth University researchers said while too much screen time can harm development of play and language, the emphasis should be on the quality of children’s viewing rather than quantity.
Dr Eszter Somogyi, of the university, said: “Weak narrative, fast-pace editing, and complex stimuli can make it difficult for a child to extract or generalise information.
“But watching television with your child and elaborating and commenting on what is viewed can help enhance their understanding of the content, reinforcing their learning during educational programmes.”
Frontiers In Psychology published the research that examined 478 studies over the past 20 years.
Dr Bahia Guellai of Paris Nanterre University was one of the co-researchers. She said that “the important take-home message” is that caregivers need to be aware and adapt to new technologies.
“Television and smartphones should be used to enhance some social interactions with their children’s young children but not replace them.
“I believe the greatest challenge for our society is to educate young adults about the dangers of inappropriate or unintentional screen usage.
“This will prevent situations in which screens become the new type child-minding (as it was during pandemic lockdowns in other countries).
“I am optimistic with the concept of finding an equilibrium between the rapid spread of new technological tools and the preservation of the beautiful nature of human relationships.”