Screen Use and Children’s Language Development From Ages 5 to 7 Years
JAMA Pediatrics 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.3490August 17, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT
In this cohort study, primary parent smartphone screen time was associated with slower growth in children’s receptive vocabulary, whereas children’s digital device ownership was associated with lower concurrent language performance. These findings highlight the importance of considering screen use within the broader family context when evaluating children’s language development and are potentially informative for parents and clinicians.
This study has an accompanying commentary.
Link to the article in your story
We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)
Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
Need more information? Contact us.