A recent study out of Japan and published in JAMA Pediatrics found that more screen time as babies lead to developmental delay risks.

Asking the question, “On a typical day, how many hours do you allow your children to watch TV, DVDs, video games, internet games (inducing mobile phones and tablets, etc?”, the researchers related the answers of 7,097 children to their mental and physical development as they got older.

The authors of the study found that by two years of age, babies who spent up to four hours a day in front of the screen were 3 times more likely to experience communication and problem-solving delays; they also found that more that four hours of screen time lead to almost a 6 times more likely of developing the delays. In addition, these children also had underdeveloped physical activities like fine motor skills by 1.7 times and twice as likely to not properly develop personal and social skills.

However, in this study study, they found only 4% of babies were exposed to more than fours of screen time per day.

As a man, you must be the father. Not Netflix, not iPad, not ChatGPT, and not the Samsung 4k SmartTV. You are responsible for the fathering. And interaction with real people and experiences will always lead to better development for children. Set important boundaries in your home. Your children deserve the best fathering you can give them.

I Takahashi et al. Screen time at age 1 year and communication and problem-solving developmental delay at 2 and 4 years. JAMA Pediatrics. 2023. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3057