Kids who get smartphones early may have weaker memory: Study

Wondering how bad smartphone use is for kids? A new study suggests too much screen time at certain ages can make kids struggle with memory and academic performance later.Too much screen time early in life may affect how kids learn and remember. (Image created using AI)You should not give a smartphone to your kid, or screen time is bad for children. This is not exactly a new warning. We have been seeing researchers warn about the ill effects of technology on children for years. But how harmful can it be? Well, a new study finds that giving children access to screens at a very young age may have longer-lasting effects on how well they learn and remember things.According to a study by researchers from Inserm and the National University of Singapore, higher screen exposure during certain stages of childhood may be linked to poorer academic performance and weaker working memory later in life. During the study, the researchers looked at 502 children from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) birth cohort. They tracked how much time the children spent looking at screens at different ages and later compared this with their academic performance at age 9 and memory skills at around age 10.5.Published in the World Journal of Pediatrics, the study looked at screen use at six different ages to see whether the age at which children were exposed to screens made a difference, rather than simply focusing on how many hours they spent on screens overall. And the findings were concerning.The study found that children who spent more time looking at screens in infancy, especially at age 1, were more likely to have poorer academic performance later and weaker working memory. Screen use among children around age 6 was also linked to poorer outcomes, suggesting that infancy and the early school years may be particularly important when it comes to screen time. The researchers say one possible reason is that more screen time may leave children with less time for activities that help them learn and develop, such as playing, reading and spending time with their parents.And this is not the first research to raise concerns about screen time. In 2020, researchers led by Sheri Madigan at the University of Calgary reviewed 42 studies involving 18,905 children to examine how screen use was linked to children's language development. They found that children who spent more time on screens tended to have weaker language skills. However, the type of screen use also mattered: educational content and watching screens with a caregiver were linked to better language skills. The researchers also found that children who started using screens at a later age tended to have stronger language skills. Another 2023 review by researchers in France looked at 15 studies involving young children to see whether screen exposure was linked to attention problems. All five short-term studies they reviewed found a link between higher screen exposure and attention difficulties. Among 10 studies that followed children over time, six found that earlier screen use was linked to later attention problems, while four found no clear linkIn conclusion, researchers are warning that too much or too-early screen exposure may affect different areas of children’s development, from learning and memory to language and attention. But it’s not simply about the screen itself. What children watch, how much time they spend on it and whether parents are involved can all affect the impact it has on their development.- EndsPublished By: Divya BhatiPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 14:17 IST