Prof. Li Hui Philip and Dr. Wu Dandan from the Department of Early Childhood Education at The Education University of Hong Kong recently published a scoping review on how time spent interacting with diversified digital technology and content has measurable and long-term effects on children’s brain function.
Their open-access review published in Early Education and Development on November 16, 2023, and has already garnered around 3,500 views in less than two weeks. It has been spotlighted on more than 50 prominent news platforms worldwide, including Newsweek, EurekAlert, The Standard, The Jerusalem Post, and Zenger News.
This latest research review delves into the results from 33 separate studies, which involved 30,000 young participants under the age of 12 and examined the impact of digital experience on children's brain development. The review showed that digital exposure could positively and negatively affect children's brain structure and function. These effects can cause changes in different parts of their brains, including the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, as well as their brain connections and overall brain network. The prefrontal cortex is particularly susceptible, which is important because it's related to executive functions such as decision-making and self-control. Therefore, educators and parents need to be informed about the potential impacts of digital use on children's brain development. They should guide, mediate, and support children's use of digital technology in an appropriate manner.
Prof. Li recommended that, “policymakers should provide suitable guidance, involvement, and support for children’s digital use to protect their digital well-being.” Dr. Wu added, “This could involve offering resources and incentives for creating and examining digital interventions aimed at bolstering brain growth in children.”
To learn more about the study, you can download the open-access article at this link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10409289.2023.2278117. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact Prof. Li at huili@eduhk.hk or Dr. Wu at ddwu@eduhk.hk for further information.
Reference:
Wu, D., Dong, X., Liu, D., & Li, H. (2023). How early digital experience shapes young brains during 0-12 years: A scoping review. Early Education and Development, 1-37.