It’s a scene many parents have experienced – just when they’re trying to cook dinner, take a phone call or run an errand, their child collapses.
And sometimes handing a digital device to a difficult preschooler seems like a quick fix. But this calming strategy might be linked to more serious behavior problems on the road, according to new findings.
According to a Michigan Medicine study in JAMA Pediatrics.
“Using mobile devices to calm a young child may seem like a harmless and temporary tool to reduce stress in the household, but there may be long-term consequences if it is a calming strategy. regular,” said lead author Jenny Radesky, MD. , a behavioral developmental pediatrician at the University of Michigan CS Mott Children’s Hospital.
“Particularly in early childhood, devices can displace opportunities for the development of independent and alternative methods of self-regulation.”
The study included 422 parents and 422 children aged 3 to 5 who participated between August 2018 and January 2020, before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers analyzed parents’ and caregivers’ responses to frequency of device use as a calming tool and associations with symptoms of emotional reactivity or dysregulation over a six-month period.
Signs of increased dysregulation can include rapid changes between sadness and excitement, a sudden change in mood or feelings, and increased impulsivity.
The results suggest that the association between device calming and emotional consequences was particularly strong in young boys and children who may already experience hyperactivity, impulsivity and a strong temper that makes them more likely to react intensely to feelings such as anger, frustration and sadness.
“Our findings suggest that using devices as a way to soothe restless children may be particularly problematic for those who already have difficulty coping with emotions,” Radesky said.
She notes that the preschool through kindergarten period is a developmental stage where children may be more likely to exhibit challenging behaviors, such as tantrums, defiance and intense emotions. This can make it even more tempting to use devices as a parenting strategy.
“Caregivers can experience immediate relief from using devices if they quickly and effectively reduce negative and challenging behaviors in children,” says Radesky. “It is rewarding for parents and children and can motivate them both to keep this cycle going.
“The habit of using devices to manage difficult behaviors grows stronger over time as children’s media demands also grow stronger. The more often the devices are used, the less children and their parents practice using other coping strategies.”
Alternative Calming Methods Can Help Develop Emotion Regulation Skills
Radesky, who is herself a mother of two, acknowledges that there are times when parents can strategically use devices to distract children, such as while traveling or multitasking with work. While the occasional use of media to occupy children is expected and realistic, it is important that it does not become a primary or regular soothing tool.
The pediatric healthcare professional should also engage in conversations with parents and caregivers regarding using devices with young children and encourage alternative methods of emotional regulation, she says.
Among the solutions recommended by Radesky when parents are tempted to turn to a device.
- Sensory techniques: Young children have their own unique profiles regarding the types of sensory inputs that calm them. This can include rocking, cuddling or squeezing, jumping on a trampoline, squishing putty in your hands, listening to music or looking at a book or a sparkly jar. If you see your child getting upset, channel that energy into body movements or sensory approaches.
- Name the emotion and what to do regarding it: When parents label what they think their child is feeling, they both help the child connect the language to the emotional states, but they also show the child that they are understood. The more calm parents can stay, the more they can show children that emotions are “mentable and manageable”, as Mr. Rogers said.
- Use color boxes: When children are young, they have trouble thinking regarding abstract and complicated concepts like emotions. The colored zones (blue for bored, green for calm, yellow for anxious/restless, red for explosive) are easier for children to understand and can be turned into a visual guide kept on the fridge, and help youngsters children to paint a mental picture of how their brains and bodies feel. Parents can use these color zones in difficult times (“You’re squirming and you’re in the yellow zone — what can you do to get back to green?”)
- Suggest replacement behaviors: Children can behave quite negatively when upset, and it’s a normal instinct to want it to stop. But these behaviors communicate emotions — so children might need to learn a safer or more resolute replacement behavior to do instead. This may include teaching a sensory strategy (“hitting hurts people; you can hit that pillow instead”) or clearer communication (“if you want my attention, just pat my arm and say ‘excuse me , mom”.”)
Parents can also prevent tech-related tantrums by setting timers, giving children clear expectations regarding when and where devices can be used, and using apps or video services that have clear breakpoints and don’t just autoplay or let the child continue scrolling.
When children are calm, caregivers also have the opportunity to teach them emotional coping skills, Radesky says. For example, they can talk to them regarding how their favorite stuffed animal might be feeling and how they deal with high emotions and calm down. This type of playful discussion uses children’s language and resonates with them.
“All of these solutions help kids understand themselves better and feel more competent in dealing with their feelings,” Radesky said. “It requires repetition from a caregiver who must also try to stay calm and not overreact to the child’s emotions, but it helps develop emotion regulation skills that last a lifetime. life.
“In contrast, using a distractor like a mobile device doesn’t teach a skill – it just distracts the child from what they’re feeling. Children who do not develop these skills in early childhood are more likely to struggle when stressed. at school or with peers as they get older.
