Study links toddler tablet use to increased anger issues

A study published on Monday, Aug. 12, found that giving tablets to toddlers could lead to anger issues down the road. Researchers followed 315 parents of preschoolers in Nova Scotia, Canada, and the peer-reviewed research was published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

The researchers, made up of a group of doctors from Canada and South Africa, wanted to find out if “higher levels of early-childhood tablet use undermine emotional regulation.”

The parents were asked to self-report their child’s tablet use and then assess their child’s pattern of behavior – mainly how they expressed anger – by filling out a behavior questionnaire.

Researchers found rising tablet use among preschool-aged children may be linked to difficulty controlling emotions.

According to the research, tablet use at the age of three-and-a-half years old was “associated with more expressions of anger and frustration by the age of four-and-a-half.”

Additionally, tablet use among four-and-a-half year olds appeared to make them more prone to those same outbursts at five-and-a-half years.

The “results suggest that early-childhood tablet use may contribute to a cycle that is deleterious for emotional regulation,” the authors wrote.

The research adds to other studies that show phones and tablets are having a negative impact on kids’ development. However, researchers said they’re not sure how or why the devices hinder a child’s emotional development.

According to researchers, children learn emotional regulation two ways: by observing how their parents regulate their emotions and from “emotional coaching,” which is also learned from their parents.

Earlier this year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory for parents, warning of the dangers of their children using social media. He also stated he require a warning label on social media apps.

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