Early tablet use contributes to emotional outbursts in young Canadian children, study shows

A new study has found that extensive early childhood tablet use may directly correlate to outbursts of anger in young children. 

According to researchers at the JAMA Pediatrics Medical Journal, substantial tablet use for children around three years old may lead to more uncontrolled expressions of anger and frustration by the time they reach the age of four. 

Beyond that, the study also found that this leads to a vicious cycle, as after the initial correlation of tablet use between the year gap of three to four years of age — by the time they hit five — their tablet use resets and increases exponentially. 

As indicated by information in the research, the initial study pool was a group of children from Nova Scotia, all within the preschool age range, specifically, all studied throughout the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

To determine a comprehensive change in attitudes over the study timeline, parents were provided with a Children’s Behavior Questionnaire to help relay any changes in their children’s behavior as a byproduct of tablet use. 

After the three-year study period — as indicated by data collected by JAMA Pediatrics — results suggested that early childhood tablet use may contribute to what researchers called “deleterious for emotional regulation.”

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For more information on this study, visit the official website of JAMA Pediatrics.