Young children and screen-based media: The impact on cognitive and socioemotional development and the importance of parental mediation

Young children are deeply immersed in digital technologies and the way children interact with screen-based media during early childhood is constantly changing. Literature shows that the use of screen-based media in early childhood can have both positive and negative impacts on children's cognitive and socioemotional development. In this literature review, we describe the risks and benefits of screen-based media use on cognitive and socioemotional development by reviewing research findings published since 2010. Specifically, we focus on the influence of screen-based media on children between 0 and 5 years of age, as it is a period of accelerated brain development and emergence and growth of cognitive abilities within several cognitive domains. We describe findings around content-based, content-independent, form-based, and social-based theories of the impact of screen-based media on development, highlighting the role parents play in their children's relationship with screen-based media. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research and practical guidelines for parents, medical practitioners, policymakers, and the media industry.