Need another reason to limit your child’s screen time? A new review warns it may permanently shape their brain. Published Tuesday in the journal Brain Health, the paper highlights how childhood experiences — from sensory input and movement to social interactions, culture, and environment — profoundly and sometimes irreversibly influence development.
The authors introduce the concept of the “criticome”, describing it as the sum of these formative influences. Coauthor Dr. Julio Licinio, a distinguished psychiatry professor at SUNY Upstate Medical University, explained: “The main takeaway is that there is a critical window of development that goes from birth all the way up to 25 years. What is imprinted on the brain then will determine who you are for the rest of your life.”
While the review does not yet answer how extensive screen use affects this critical window, Licinio cautioned that waiting decades for definitive research is unwise. The findings raise urgent questions about how digital habits may shape the adults that today’s children will become.
One big concern is that screens are intensively stimulating for young people because they are held up close and engage young viewers with things such as fast cuts and colors. Afterwards, “everything else feels boring for a kid,” said Melissa Greenberg, a clinical psychologist at Princeton Psychotherapy Center in New Jersey, who was not involved in the research.
Kids become less interested in things that used to be considered fun, such as playing with friends without screens, going to the beach or riding bikes, she said. But these are the kinds of activities that develop the socialisation, motor and sensory experiences that the research has found are vital in childhood.
Less screen time and more people
Licinio’s advice to parents is to get their children off screens. Instead, ensure kids spend more time interacting with other humans — whether it’s with you or other kids. While this research focused on the psychological effects of childhood experiences, using screens is also physically detrimental, Licinio said. “It’s a major contributor to childhood obesity,” he said. “Not only do you decrease physical activity, but a lot of children are eating when they’re watching.”
Early exposure to devices matters
When I speak with students about their screen use, I urge them to consider what else they could be doing with that time — activities that might make them happier or healthier. This question matters because if certain brain regions, such as Broca’s area, which is responsible for language and speech, aren’t engaged during childhood, they cannot easily be developed later. Childhood is a critical window for learning skills like foreign languages; adults who start later rarely achieve the same fluency.
The same principle applies to many abilities. Mozart’s genius, for example, was shaped not only by practice and access to instruments but also by early exposure to music, which laid the neural foundations for his talent. The study underscores that childhood is a crucial period to introduce children to music, art, and languages — pursuits that build lasting skills. Investing time in these experiences is far more valuable than spending hours on digital devices.
You can take away screens
When I speak to parent groups about how to handle kids’ screen time, people often tell me it’s too late to take kids’ screens away or it just can’t be done. But that’s not true. This study adds to a growing body of research suggesting we should get our kids off screens. Last month, the US Surgeon General’s office released an advisory warning that children who spend more time on screens are more likely to have physical health problems, mental health problems, behavioural problems, family conflicts, lower academic performance and worse relationships with their peers.
Worrying that your child will blow up if you take a screen away isn’t a reason not to do it, Greenberg said. In fact, if your child is dependent on a screen and will lash out if you take it away, “that may even be more of a reason to do it,” she said.
But don’t blame kids for their reactions when that happens. “It’s not because the kid is being defiant or acting out or not listening to you,” Greenberg said. “It’s because they’ve been given something that’s addictive, and then you’re taking it away.” Don’t blame yourself for that, either. “We’re all catching up with the technology and understanding its impact,” Greenberg said.
Instead, I tell parents to explain to kids that when we get new evidence, we need to reconsider what we think and do. Otherwise, if we hold onto beliefs and behaviours even when circumstances change, we’ll make uninformed decisions that could harm us and others. Most parents didn’t have all this data when they got their kids digital devices and let them join apps. So, now is a good time to sit down and discuss what changes you’ll make because of this new information.
Don’t remove tech without a plan
If taking away screens is going to be ugly, start with a plan, Greenberg said. You don’t have to do it right this second, she said. Instead, think about when you might have the best chance of success. Kids who have spent a lot of time on screens may not have the ability to play on their own yet, she said. Can you hit the beach or a pool this summer? That might be a good time to start, she said.
Make plans for what you can do to fill in that time while you help your child to build those skills, whether it’s playing board games, learning to ride a bike or volunteering where your community needs you. Having extra family members around and seeking help from a professional can also be beneficial if you have the resources, Greenberg said.
And remember, they’re watching what you’re doing on screens, too. Teaching kids to think critically and have fun offline will be far better skills to encode in their brains for the rest of their lives than scrolling.
