New research from Assistant Professor Jane Shawcroft explores how parents’ use of screens to calm young children may be connected to children’s cognitive development.

The study, recently published in the Journal of Communication, examines a practice called “media emotion regulation,” which is the use of technology to help soothe children experiencing different emotions. Shawcroft’s research found that the underlying patterns linking this type of screen use and cognitive development differ for each child. 

For many families, there is a bidirectional relationship between using screens for calming and a child’s cognitive development. A child's cognitive development affects how often parents use screens for calming, and using screens for calming affects how children develop cognitive abilities.

One of the most important findings was about parents. The research showed that in families where parents were dealing with depression, using screens to help calm their children was related to cognitive development, but not the other way around. The study suggests that helping parents with their own mental health may also help foster healthier technology use for children.

"If we want kids to be OK, part of that is helping their parents to be OK,” Shawcroft said. 

The findings show the importance of moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to conversations about children and screen use. This study helps us understand the different challenges families face and shows that supporting parents can support healthy technology use and development in early childhood.