"Study: Screen Time Reduces Toddlers' Exposure to 1,000 Spoken Words Daily"

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics found that toddlers exposed to screens, including TVs and phones, are missing out on hearing more than 1,000 words spoken by adults each day, which hinders their language skills. The research, tracking 220 Australian families over two years, revealed that for every extra minute of screen time, three-year-olds heard seven fewer words, spoke five fewer words, and engaged in one less conversation. The study emphasized the importance of a language-rich home environment in supporting infants and toddlers' language development and suggested that screen time may be affecting children more than previously estimated.