In today’s digital age, media has become an essential part of our daily lives, and it’s becoming more and more relevant for our youth. When used properly, media can be an effective learning tool and a form of entertainment.
You likely know what the nuance of “media” refers to: tv shows, movies, games, educational apps, social media, etc., but what role should media play in your child’s growth?
Well, according to researchers Linebarger and Vaala in the Developmental Review Journal, “Screen media effects are dependent on the degree to which media content resembles infants’ and toddlers’ real-life experiences […]
Finally, the presence of a competent co-viewer appears to boost babies’ language learning from screen media, much like the ways these processes facilitate learning in live scenarios.”1
Though they explicitly mention infants and toddlers, this same conclusion is also reached in studies of older kids, as explored in “Relationship Between Speech Delay and Smart Media in Children: A Systematic Review” by Alamri et. al. They refer to the idea of “passive media consumption”2, meaning media that does not promote participation. They propose that media should instead offer children the opportunity to practice their speech and language skills.
The main takeaway from the research is this: the media your child consumes should reflect their real-life experiences, and you as a parent play a vital role in this effectiveness.
Researchers Kanako Okuma and Masako Tanimura explain that “[…] habitual viewing for long hours of TV with characteristics that are unlikely to elicit parent–child communication may affect delayed language development in young children”.3
In other words, it’s not really about the type of media that’s being consumed, but about how we interact with our children during their media consumption. The main goal is to use your child’s media as an opportunity to actively engage with them as they watch it.
The time and energy you share with your child is incredibly valuable, and with the following tips, you can make the most of it.
You can engage by:
The important thing to remember is we want to emulate real-life communication and prevent “passive” viewing. So, try to watch media where the characters’ mouths and facial expressions are visible when they are talking (bonus points if the characters talk to the camera or viewer, like Dora The Explorer)! Also, watching shorter videos with your child and minimizing distractions/interruptions2 will make it easier to digest the content and find things to talk about.
Don’t forget, you and your child are on a journey of growth together. If you want to prevent them from scrolling excessively on TikTok or having constant movie marathons, being careful to not fall into those traps yourself is a good way to set the stage for development2 (it’ll be tough, we know). With this in mind, both of you can be focused on having fun and staying in the moment.
It’s ok to have days where using media doesn’t go as planned, or when you feel like you could have done something different. You and your child are growing together, so learn from your experiences and have fun! We at SpeechBuddy believe in you, and we’re here to help! We know that as a parent, you want the best for your children, and so do we. With SpeechBuddy’s adaptive lessons, you can be sure that your child’s media will go hand in hand with their learning.
As always, thanks for reading, and we’ll be back with another blog post soon!
Questions? Comments? Contact us!
With love, Team SpeechBuddy
Tags: integrating media, speech development, speech therapy apps, educational media, interactive learning, child speech development, SpeechBuddy, speech therapy tools
1 - Deborah L. Linebarger, Sarah E. Vaala, Screen media and language development in infants and toddlers: An ecological perspective, Developmental Review, Volume 30, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 176-202, ISSN 0273-2297, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2010.03.006. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027322971000016X)
2 - Alamri, M. M., Alrehaili, M. A., Albariqi, W., Alshehri, M. S., Alotaibi, K. B., & Algethami, A. M. (2023). Relationship Between Speech Delay and Smart Media in Children: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 15(9), e45396. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.45396
3 - Kanako Okuma, Masako Tanimura, A preliminary study on the relationship between characteristics of TV content and delayed speech development in young children, Infant Behavior and Development, Volume 32, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 312-321, ISSN 0163-6383, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2009.04.002. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163638309000459)
