Remember when your mom said that watching too much TV would damage your brain? Well, maybe she was right. Researchers at Cincinnati Children 's Hospital studied a group of 47 children and found that increased screen time was correlated with negative effects on brain anatomy and cognitive skills.
MRI scans of children with the highest screen exposure revealed decreased brain myelination, a substance essential for proper functioning of neural connections. In addition, these children's expressive language skills were also less developed compared to those who spent less time in front of a screen.
Although this study was conducted on a small sample, the results should serve as a warning sign of the potential harmful effects of screen time on young children's development. This underscores the importance of following our mothers' wise advice: reducing screen time is essential for our children's cognitive health.
Less screen time, more development: a mantra to adopt to preserve our children's growing brains. For additional tips on managing screen time, check out this article .
