A few key papers in bold (and marked *) provide some key messages from recent research on young children and digital technology.
Booton, S. A., Hodgkiss, A., & Murphy, V. A. (2023a). The impact of mobile application features on children’s language and literacy learning: a systematic review. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 36(3), 400–429.
Booton, S. A., Kolancali, P., & Murphy, V. A. (2023b). Touchscreen apps for child creativity: An evaluation of creativity apps designed for young children. Computers & Education, 201, 104811.
Chamam, S., Forcella, A., Musio, N., Quinodoz, F., & Dimitrova, N. (2024). Effects of digital and non-digital parental distraction on parent-child interaction and communication. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3, 1330331.
Dore, R., Xiao, N., Sayers, R., Purtell, K., & Justice, L. (2023). Does home media use predict preschoolers’ skill gains? A time diary study. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 9(3), 263–276. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000365
Dore, R. A., Logan, J., Lin, T.-J., Purtell, K. M., & Justice, L. (2020). Characteristics of Children’s Media Use and Gains in Language and Literacy Skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2224. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02224
Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., Hamby, D. W., & Simkus, A. (2013). Systematic Review of Studies Promoting the Use of Assistive Technology Devices by Young Children with Disabilities. Practical Evaluation Reports, Volume 5, Number 1. Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute.
Essex, C., Bedford, R., Gliga, T., & Smith, T. J. (2025). Toddlers Viewing Fantastical Cartoons: Evidence of an Immediate Reduction in Endogenous Control Without an Increase in Stimulus‐Driven Exogenous Control. Developmental Science, 28(3), e70008.
Garriguet, D., Carson, V., Colley, R. C., Janssen, I., Timmons, B. W., & Tremblay, M. S. (2016). Physical activity and sedentary behaviour of Canadian children aged 3 to 5. Statistics Canada.
Gath, M., Horwood, L. J., Gillon, G., McNeill, B., & Woodward, L. J. (2025). Longitudinal associations between screen time and children’s language, early educational skills, and peer social functioning. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001907
Griffith, S. F., Hagan, M. B., Heymann, P., Heflin, B. H., & Bagner, D. M. (2020). Apps as learning tools: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 145(1), e20191579.
* Fish, L., Bernardi, M., van de Grint-Stoop, J. , Heng, J.A. , Knibbs, S. , Goodman, A. Calderwood, L., Mathers, S., Deepchand, K., Ferguson, C., Ploubidis, G., Barnes, J., Dockrell, J., Crawford, C., , MacMillan, L. , Pickering, K., & Fearon, P. (2026) Children of the 2020s: home learning environment and screen time at age 2. Research Brief. Department for Education. Children of the 2020s: HLE and screen time at age 2
Hiniker, A., Suh, H., Cao, S., & Kientz, J. A. (2016, May). Screen time tantrums: How families manage screen media experiences for toddlers and preschoolers. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 648-660).
Herodotou, C. (2018). Young children and tablets: A systematic review of effects on learning and development. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 34(1), 1-9.
Kim, J., Gilbert, J., Yu, Q., & Gale, C. (2021). Measures Matter: A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Educational Apps on Preschool to Grade 3 Children’s Literacy and Math Skills. AERA Open, 7, 233285842110041. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211004183
Lauricella, A. R., Wartella, E., & Rideout, V. J. (2015). Young children’s screen time: The complex role of parent and child factors. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 36, 11-17.
Lillard, A. S., & Peterson, J. (2011). The immediate impact of different types of television on young children’s executive function. Pediatrics, 128(4), 644.
Mallawaarachchi, S., Cliff, D. P., Neilsen-Hewett, C., White, S. L., Radesky, J., Horwood, S., … & Howard, S. J. (2025). Effects of Persuasive App Design and Self‐Regulation on Young Children’s Digital Disengagement. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2025(1), 8187768.
* Mallawaarachchi, S., Burley, J., Mavilidi, M., Howard, S. J., Straker, L., Kervin, L., Staton, S., Hayes, N., Machell, A., Torjinski, M., Brady, B., Thomas, G., Horwood, S., White, S. L. J., Zabatiero, J., Rivera, C., & Cliff, D. (2024). Early Childhood Screen Use Contexts and Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 178(10), 1017–1026. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2620
Martinot, P., Bernard, J. Y., Peyre, H., De Agostini, M., Forhan, A., Charles, M.-A., Plancoulaine, S., & Heude, B. (2021). Exposure to screens and children’s language development in the EDEN mother–child cohort. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 11863. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90867-3
Mathers, S. J., Kolancali, P., Jelley, F., Singh, D., Hodgkiss, A., Booton, S. A., … & Murphy, V. A. (2025). Features of digital media which influence social interactions between adults and children aged 2 to 7 years during joint media engagement: a multi-level meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 100665.
Mathers, S. (2024) Adults joining and supporting young children’s touchscreen use: does it happen, what does it ‘look like’ and what are the influences? Oxford Education Deanery. https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/oxford-education-deanery/digest/adults-joining-and-supporting-young-childrens-touchscreen-use-does-it-happen-what-does-it-look-like-and-what-are-the-influences/
McArthur, B. A., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2022). Screen time and developmental and behavioral outcomes for preschool children. Pediatric Research, 91(6), 1616–1621. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01572-w
* Meyer, M., Zosh, J. M., McLaren, C., Robb, M., McCaffery, H., Golinkoff, R. M., … & Radesky, J. (2021). How educational are “educational” apps for young children? App store content analysis using the Four Pillars of Learning framework. Journal of children and media, 15(4), 526-548.
* Pickard, H., Chu, P., Essex, C., Goddard, E. J., Baulcombe, K., Carter, B., … & Smith, T. J. (2024). Toddler screen use before bed and its effect on sleep and attention: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA pediatrics, 178(12), 1270-1279.
Portugal, A. M., Bedford, R., Cheung, C. H., Mason, L., & Smith, T. J. (2021). Longitudinal touchscreen use across early development is associated with faster exogenous and reduced endogenous attention control. Scientific reports, 11(1), 2205.
Rosslund, A., Kartushina, N., & Mayor, J. (2025). Associations between shared book reading, daily screen time and infants’ vocabulary size. Journal of Child Language, 52(4), 971–983. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000924000291
* Swider-Cios, E., Vermeij, A., & Sitskoorn, M. M. (2023). Young children and screen-based media: The impact on cognitive and socioemotional development and the importance of parental mediation. Cognitive Development, 66, 101319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2023.101319
Strouse, G. A., O’Doherty, K., & Troseth, G. L. (2013). Effective coviewing: Preschoolers’ learning from video after a dialogic questioning intervention. Developmental psychology, 49(12), 2368.
* Taylor, G., Sala, G., Kolak, J., Gerhardstein, P., & Lingwood, J. (2024). Does adult-child co-use during digital media use improve children’s learning aged 0–6 years? A systematic review with meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 44, 100614.
Taylor, G., Kolak, J., Norgate, S. H., & Monaghan, P. (2022). Assessing the educational potential and language content of touchscreen apps for preschool children. Computers and Education Open, 3, 100102.
Yang, D., Xia, C., Collins, P., & Warschauer, M. (2022). The role of bilingual discussion prompts in shared E-book reading. Computers & Education, 190, 104622.
* Yang, W. (2024). Coding with robots or tablets? Effects of technology-enhanced embodied learning on preschoolers’ computational thinking and social-emotional competence. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 62(4), 718-740. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377108565_Coding_With_Robots_or_Tablets_Effects_of_Technology-Enhanced_Embodied_Learning_on_Preschoolers’_Computational_Thinking_and_Social-Emotional_Competence
Zack, E., & Barr, R. (2016). The role of interactional quality in learning from touch screens during infancy: Context matters. Frontiers in psychology, 7, 1264.