Young children who spend more time in front of screens tend to perform worse on standardized tests in reading and math during their elementary school years, a major new study from Canadian has found.
The research, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, tracked more than 5,400 children from early childhood through grades three and six, ultimately offering some of the strongest evidence yet that screen time may have lasting effects on academic achievement.
The study found that every additional hour of daily screen time in early childhood was associated with a roughly nine to 10 percent lower likelihood of achieving higher test scores in reading and math.
Based on the findings, Dr. Sanjeev Kothare—division director of pediatric neurology at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell Health—has a simple message for parents.
“Go to the conventional old times where we read them stories and did more work on actual books rather than going through these iPads and other social media,” he said. “These platforms may be hampering their development.”
“The main thing is the numbers are huge. We have 3,000 plus subjects who are tested and analyzed,” Kothare added
“I think it’s an important wake up call for the American Academy of Pediatrics to say that screen time should definitely be restricted in this vulnerable population so that adequate neuronal networks are developed in the vulnerable growing age when schooling and all these important things are going on.”
Researchers followed 3,322 third graders and 2,084 sixth graders across Ontario, Canada, between 2008 and 2023, using data from the TARGet Kids! primary care cohort.
Parents reported their children’s total screen time—including TV, digital media and video games—and those results were linked with provincial standardized test scores.
The study found that children who spent more time watching television or using digital media scored lower on reading and math tests in grades three and six.
Video game use was also linked to lower reading achievement in grade three, particularly among girls, who showed reduced reading and math performance when gaming hours were high.
The results reinforce what many pediatric specialists have long suspected—that too much screen exposure in early childhood may disrupt normal brain development.
“There are two theories,” Kothare explained. “One is because they are getting too engrossed in their screen time, so they’re not paying attention to the learning process. The second possibility is their neurons are getting reprogrammed, and the process of learning is being hampered or reduced because of the screen time.”
Future studies might use brain imaging to compare the neural networks of children with high screen use against those with limited exposure.
The study’s authors said that not all screen time is equal and called for further research into how the content and context of screen use—such as educational programming or co-viewing with parents—might affect outcomes differently.
The researchers concluded that early and targeted interventions—developed in collaboration among parents, schools and health professionals—could help curb excessive screen exposure and support stronger academic foundations.
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Reference
Li, X., Keown-Stoneman, C. D., Omand, J. A., Cost, K. T., Gallagher-Mackay, K., Hove, J., Janus, M., Korczak, D. J., Pullenayegum, E. M., Tsujimoto, K. C., Vanderloo, L. M., Maguire, J. L., Birken, C. S., & TARGet Kids! Collaboration. (2025). Screen Time and Standardized Academic Achievement Tests in Elementary School. JAMA Network Open, 8(10). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.37092
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