Screen Time Harms Toddlers

The UK government recently published an alarming report, noting, “Screen use is now near-universal in early childhood, with 98% of two-year-olds watching screens daily” (The Guardian, January 11, 2026). Research suggests that this abundance of screen time negatively impacts the vocabulary and coordination of these children.

Two-year-olds who viewed screens for five hours a day “could say significantly fewer words than those with screen use of about 44 minutes a day.” Too much screen time in younger years “can start to crowd out the talking, play and reading that are so important for children’s language and development.” Educators have noted that children who spend a lot of time on screens are less coordinated, less capable of putting puzzles together, and less able to use verbal language (The Guardian, January 22, 2026). The World Health Organization recommends that children under two have no screen time at all and that children two to four years old have no more than one hour per day. According to one UK survey, “Almost a third of children who started reception [preschool] last year were not able to use books correctly, sometimes even trying to swipe or tap them like a smartphone” (Sky News, January 22, 2026).

To raise children that thrive and grow physically, emotionally, and intellectually, parents must be engaged and not give in to the temptation to use devices to pacify their children. Healthy and intelligent children have parents who read to them, talk with them, challenge them, and play with them. Parenting is not a pastime—it is a full-time obligation, a privilege and responsibility from God. You can learn more about effective parenting by listening to or reading Successful Parenting: God’s Way