Impact of Screen Use on Early Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37067/rpfc.v13i2.1191Keywords:
intersubjectivity, Child Development, Corporeality, Psychopathology, Phenomenology, Screens, TechnologyAbstract
Bodily synchrony between mother and baby is essential for the formation of secure attachments and for the child's emotional and psychological development. The presence of electronic devices can alter this synchrony, resulting in an impoverished interaction system, which can negatively affect the child's ability to regulate their emotions and establish social connections. Drawing on the theoretical framework of Structural Phenomenology, this article presents a theoretical model of how screen use, by both parents and children, can affect development in the first two years of life, with persistent impact throughout the lifespan. Conceptualizing the importance and role of proto-intersubjectivity and intercorporeality, the article proposes a map that correlates the presented epidemiological changes with alterations in the infant's psychic structure. This article conceptually analyzes the pathways through which screen use in the first 24 months of life promotes structural changes in the child's psyche. The current reality of our society is the increasing use of technological elements in everyday life. Therefore, broadening our understanding of this phenomenon can help us propose new, healthier configurations for screen use.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Aishworiya, R., Magiati, I., Phua, D., Daniel, L. M., Shek, L. P., Chong, Y. S. & Law, E. C. (2022). Are there bidirectional influences between screen time exposure and social behavioral traits in young children?. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 43(6), 362-369.
Bowlby, J. (2018). The nature of the child’s tie to his mother. In Influential papers from the 1950s (pp. 222–273). Routledge.
Braune‐Krickau, K., Schneebeli, L., Pehlke‐Milde, J., Gemperle, M., Koch, R., & von Wyl, A. (2021). Smartphones in the nursery: Parental smartphone use and parental sensitivity and responsiveness within parent–child interaction in early childhood (0–5 years): A scoping review. Infant Mental Health Journal, 42(2), 161-175.
Ceron-Litvoc, Daniela. Uma proposta fenomenológico-estrutural para o desenvolvimento humano dos 0 aos 24 meses. Daniela Ceron-Litvoc. São Paulo, 2017. Tese de Doutorado. Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo – Curso de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde. Área de Concentração: Ciências da Saúde. Orientador: Guilherme Peres Messas. BC-FCMSCSP/54-17
Ceron-Litvoc, D. (2020). Interpessoalidade na primeira infância: as possibilidades do encontro com o outro. Psicopatologia Fenomenológica Contemporânea, 9(1), 57-72.
Cirelli, L. K., Trehub, S. E., & Trainor, L. J. (2018). Rhythm and melody as social signals for infants. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1423(1), 66-72.
De Jaegher, H., Di Paolo, E., & Gallagher, S. (2010). Can social interaction constitute social cognition?. Trends in cognitive sciences, 14(10), 441-447.
Di Paolo, E., & De Jaegher, H. (2012). The interactive brain hypothesis. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 6, 163.
Feldman, R. (2007). Parent–infant synchrony and the construction of shared timing: physiological precursors, developmental outcomes, and risk conditions. Journal of Child psychology and Psychiatry, 48(3‐4), 329-354.
Feldman, R., Gordon, I., & Zagoory‐Sharon, O. (2011). Maternal and paternal plasma, salivary, and urinary oxytocin and parent–infant synchrony: considering stress and affiliation components of human bonding. Developmental science, 14(4), 752-761.
Gallese, V., Ardizzi, M., & Ferroni, F. (2024). Schizophrenia and the bodily self. Schizophrenia Research, 269, 152-162.
Gallese, V. (2024). Digital visions: the experience of self and others in the age of the digital revolution. International Review of Psychiatry, 1-11.
Gueron-Sela, N., & Gordon-Hacker, A. (2020). Longitudinal links between media use and focused attention through toddlerhood: a cumulative risk approach. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 569222.
Hertenstein, M. J., Keltner, D., App, B., Bulleit, B. A., & Jaskolka, A. R. (2006). Touch communicates distinct emotions. Emotion, 6(3), 528.
Huang, P., Chan, S. Y., Ngoh, Z. M., Ong, Z. Y., Low, X. Z., Law, E. C. & Tan, A. P. (2024). Screen time, brain network development and socio-emotional competence in childhood: moderation of associations by parent–child reading. Psychological Medicine, 1-12.
Lederer, Y., Artzi, H., & Borodkin, K. (2022). The effects of maternal smartphone use on mother–child interaction. Child development, 93(2), 556-570.
Mallawaarachchi, S., Burley, J., Mavilidi, M., Howard, S. J., Straker, L., Kervin, L. & Cliff, D. (2024). Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA pediatrics.
Melchior, M., Barry, K., Cohen, D., Plancoulaine, S., Bernard, J. Y., Milcent, K. & Charles, M. A. (2022). TV, computer, tablet and smartphone use and autism spectrum disorder risk in early childhood: a nationally-representative study. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 865.
Poulain, T., Ludwig, J., Hiemisch, A., Hilbert, A., & Kiess, W. (2019). Media use of mothers, media use of children, and parent–child interaction are related to behavioral difficulties and strengths of children. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(23), 4651.
Qu, G., Hu, W., Meng, J., Wang, X., Su, W., Liu, H., ... & Sun, Y. (2023). Association between screen time and developmental and behavioral problems among children in the United States: evidence from 2018 to 2020 NSCH. Journal of psychiatric research, 161, 140-149.
Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., & Gallese, V. (1997). The space around us. Science, 277(5323), 190-191.
Rizzolatti, G., & Sinigaglia, C. (2010). The functional role of the parieto-frontal mirror circuit: interpretations and misinterpretations. Nature reviews neuroscience, 11(4), 264-274.
Stanghellini, G. (2016). Lost in dialogue: anthropology, psychopathology, and care. Oxford University Press.
Slobodin, O., Hetzroni, O. E., Mandel, M., Saad Nuttman, S., Gawi Damashi, Z., Machluf, E., & Davidovitch, M. (2024). Infant screen media and child development: A prospective community study. Infancy, 29(2), 155-174.
Takahashi, I., Obara, T., Ishikuro, M., Murakami, K., Ueno, F., Noda, A. & Kuriyama, S. (2023). Screen time at age 1 year and communication and problem-solving developmental delay at 2 and 4 years. JAMA pediatrics, 177(10), 1039-1046.
Trevarthen, C. (1993). The self born in intersubjectivity: The psychology of an infant communicating.
Van Puyvelde, M., Loots, G., Meys, J., Neyt, X., Mairesse, O., Simcock, D., & Pattyn, N. (2015). Whose clock makes yours tick? How maternal cardiorespiratory physiology influences newborns’ heart rate variability. Biological psychology, 108, 132-141.
Vik, F. N., Grasaas, E., Polspoel, M. E., Røed, M., Hillesund, E. R., & Øverby, N. C. (2021). Parental phone use during mealtimes with toddlers and the associations with feeding practices and shared family meals: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 21, 1-8.
Wan, M. W., Fitch-Bunce, C., Heron, K., & Lester, E. (2021). Infant screen media usage and social-emotional functioning. Infant Behavior and Development, 62, 101509.
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2025-05-17 (2)
- 2024-11-12 (1)
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Daniela Ceron-Litvoc
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors retain unrestricted copyright and must indicate the initial publication in this journal in case of any subsequent publication of their work.
