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The first years of life constitute a period of brain development of unparalleled intensity. Between birth and the age of three, your child’s brain builds at a dizzying speed, forming neural connections that will lay the foundations for all their future abilities. In this context, the question of screens takes on particular importance. Why do experts recommend avoiding screens before three years old? And above all, how can we achieve this in a world where they are omnipresent? Let’s explore together these essential questions for the well-being of your little ones.
The toddler’s brain: a construction in progress
Extraordinary neuronal development
At birth, a baby’s brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons, but the connections between these neurons, called synapses, are still largely to be built. During the first three years, these connections multiply at a frantic pace, reaching a peak of approximately 1000 trillion synapses around the age of three, twice what the adult brain will have.
This synaptic proliferation is accompanied by an equally important process: pruning. The brain strengthens connections that are regularly used and eliminates those that are not, according to the principle “use it or lose it.” The experiences lived by the child during this period therefore literally determine the architecture of their brain.
Fundamental needs for proper development
To develop optimally, the young brain needs rich and varied experiences in the real world. Interactions with caregivers, sensory exploration of the environment, object manipulation, movement and free play constitute the essential ingredients of this development.
Language is acquired through exchanges with attentive adults who talk to the baby, respond to their vocalizations and adjust their communication to their abilities. Motor skills develop through physical exploration, attempts, falls and restarts. Social-emotional capacities are built in shared gazes, exchanged smiles, moments of comfort and play.
Why are screens not recommended before 3 years old?
Unsuitability for the developmental stage
Screens have characteristics that make them particularly unsuitable for the developmental stage of toddlers. The young child’s brain learns in three dimensions, through all their senses and through action. A screen only offers a flat image, mainly visual and auditory, with no possibility of real physical interaction.
A baby watching a ball bounce on a screen does not have the same experience at all as one who rolls a real ball, chases it, grasps it, drops it and observes its bounces. In the first case, they passively receive visual information. In the second, they engage their body, discover the physical properties of objects, develop their coordination and experiment with cause-and-effect relationships.
The video transfer deficit
Research has highlighted a phenomenon called “video transfer deficit”: young children learn much less well from screens than from in-person interactions. Experiments have shown that toddlers who watch a person hide an object on a video screen cannot then find this object in reality, whereas they can if they observed the same action live.
This deficit is explained by several factors. The screen does not provide the depth and perspective cues that the brain uses to understand space. Interaction through the screen is not contingent: the screen does not respond to the child’s actions as a human partner would. The context differs between what is seen on screen and the real environment where the child must apply what they have learned.
The impact on language development
Language is one of the areas where early screen exposure seems to have the most concerning effects. Several studies have established a correlation between screen time before three years old and delays in language acquisition.
To develop language, toddlers need personalized interactions with adults who talk to them, who respond to their communication attempts, who adjust their speech to their level of understanding. A screen, even if it broadcasts so-called “educational” content, cannot offer this adaptive interaction. It talks at the child but not with the child.
Time spent in front of screens is also time not spent in verbal interaction with parents and relatives, thereby reducing language learning opportunities.
Effects on attention and self-regulation
Early exposure to screens could also affect the development of attention and self-regulation capacities. Screen content, particularly that intended for young children, is often characterized by a rapid pace, frequent scene changes and intense sensory stimulation.
These characteristics effectively capture the toddler’s attention, but they can also accustom them to an artificial level of stimulation. Faced with real-world activities, less intense and less changing, the child may then have difficulty maintaining their attention. Some studies suggest a link between early screen exposure and subsequent attention difficulties, although this link is still being researched.
Screen time replaces essential experiences
Beyond potential direct effects, time spent in front of screens is time not spent on activities essential to development. This is what we call the opportunity cost.
A toddler needs to move, explore, manipulate objects, interact with their loved ones, play freely. Every minute spent immobile in front of a screen is a minute subtracted from these irreplaceable experiences. In a child’s day that already includes a lot of time for sleep, meals and care, the remaining time for waking activities is precious and should be preserved.
Official recommendations
What health authorities say
Major health authorities converge in their recommendations regarding screens before three years old. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends zero screen time for children under 2 years old and a maximum of one hour for 2-4 year olds, less being preferable. The American Academy of Pediatrics holds a similar position, making exceptions only for video calls with relatives.
In France, the High Council for Public Health recommends not exposing children under 3 years old to screens and strictly limiting exposure until 6 years old. These recommendations are based on the analysis of available scientific data and on the precautionary principle regarding a technology whose long-term effects are not yet fully known.
The video call exception
An important nuance concerns video calls with relatives (grandparents, distant family). These uses are generally exempted from restrictive recommendations because they have different characteristics from passive content consumption.
A video call involves real interaction with a known and loved person. Communication is bidirectional and contingent: the relative reacts to the child’s actions and words. The experience is more similar to an in-person interaction than to video content consumption.
However, even these uses should be framed and limited in time. They cannot replace in-person interactions and should not become a way to keep the child “occupied.”
How to avoid screens in daily life
Create an environment without temptation
The first strategy to avoid screens is to arrange the environment to reduce temptation. Ideally, the spaces where the toddler evolves do not contain a television turned on permanently, tablets within reach or phones lying on the coffee table.
This recommendation also concerns parents’ screens. A baby or young child in an environment where adults are constantly on their screens will naturally be attracted to these bright and fascinating objects. Reducing your own screen use in your child’s presence greatly facilitates the goal of avoiding exposing them to it.
Offer rich alternatives
A toddler deprived of screens is not a toddler deprived of stimulation. On the contrary, alternatives to screens are often much richer and more adapted to their development. Simple toys that allow manipulation (blocks, balls, stacking objects), board books to flip through together, sensory activities (playdough, water play, texture exploration), music and nursery rhymes, free play in a secure environment: the possibilities are endless.
Interaction with adults remains the most valuable stimulation. Talking to your baby, telling them what you’re doing, singing together, playing peek-a-boo, reading stories: these moments nourish their development much more effectively than any screen content.
Manage difficult moments differently
One of the main traps that leads to exposing toddlers to screens is the search for a quick solution to difficult moments: the restaurant meal, the doctor’s waiting room, the car trip, the moment when the parent must work or do a household task.
It’s true that the screen calms instantly and effectively. But other strategies exist, even if they require a bit more preparation. A bag containing a few toys, books and interesting objects can distract the child in most situations. Nursery rhymes and finger games require no materials. Involving the child in what you’re doing (giving them a wooden spoon while you cook, letting them “help” with housework with a small broom) keeps them occupied while developing their skills.
To deepen these strategies and find solutions adapted to your situation, DYNSEO offers an online training “Raising awareness about screens: understanding, acting, supporting”. This training helps parents understand the specific issues for each age group and implement effective alternatives to screens.
Communicate with those around you
Protecting your toddler from screens involves communicating your choices to all the people who care for them: your spouse of course, but also grandparents, the nanny, daycare, friends who receive you.
This communication can sometimes be delicate, especially with generations who raised their children with television without seeing any problem. Explain the reasons for your choice without lecturing, share resources (articles, official recommendations), and suggest alternatives that those around you can use with the child.
Accept imperfection
In a world saturated with screens, the goal of zero exposure for a toddler is ambitious. Occasional exposures (screen in the waiting room, television on at friends’ house) are practically inevitable. What matters is to maintain the general course and not trivialize the use.
Don’t feel excessively guilty if your child has seen a few minutes of screen. What is problematic is regular, prolonged and unaccompanied exposure, not the isolated incident. The important thing is that screens do not become a habit, an automatic recourse or a central element of your toddler’s daily life.
Frequently asked questions from parents
My baby is fascinated by television, isn’t that a sign that they like it?
The fascination of toddlers with screens is very real, but it does not mean that this exposure is beneficial to them. Babies are biologically programmed to be attracted to bright, colorful and changing stimuli. The screen activates an orientation reflex that automatically captures attention.
This attentional capture does not indicate deep interest or learning. It is rather comparable to a child’s fascination with a flame or a shiny object. Just because something irresistibly attracts the eye doesn’t mean it’s good to be exposed to it.
Are so-called “educational” applications acceptable?
The “educational” label does not guarantee that the content is suitable or beneficial for a toddler. Marketing has well understood parents’ concerns and multiplies applications presented as stimulating babies’ development. Research does not confirm these promises.
For children under three, experts remain skeptical about the real educational value of any screen content, regardless of its quality. The video transfer deficit applies even to well-designed content. Interaction with the real world and people remains incomparably more effective for learning at this age.
What if I work from home and need quiet?
This situation is one of the most difficult for parents who want to avoid screens. Several approaches can help. If possible, have your child looked after during your most demanding work hours. Use nap time for tasks requiring concentration. Set up a secure play area where the child can occupy themselves independently for short periods.
Rotating toys (you only bring out a few at a time and change them regularly) maintain the child’s interest longer than if they had access to all of them permanently. Activities like playdough, drawing or water play can occupy a toddler for a good while.
And if, in exceptional circumstances, you must resort to a few minutes of screen to handle a professional emergency, don’t beat yourself up. The important thing is that it remains exceptional and not the norm.
What to do if the other parent doesn’t agree?
Parental disagreements on the screen issue are frequent. The ideal is to calmly discuss your respective views and find common ground. Share information and official recommendations without imposing your point of view.
If consensus is difficult to reach, at least seek to establish minimal common rules: no screen during meals, no screen before bedtime, limitation of daily time. A consistent framework, even if imperfect, is preferable to rules that constantly change depending on the parent present.
Preparing for what’s next: towards progressive and supervised use
After 3 years: gradual introduction
The goal of zero screen before three years old does not mean that from the third birthday, all uses suddenly become acceptable. The recommendation is rather to introduce screens very gradually, with sustained parental support.
Between 3 and 6 years old, recommendations suggest limiting screen time to 30 minutes to one hour per day maximum, with carefully selected content and parental presence during use. Screens should not be used to calm the child, reward them or punish them, which would give them excessive emotional charge.
Choose quality content and applications
When you begin to introduce screens after three years old, the choice of content becomes crucial. Favor content designed by education professionals, age-appropriate, with a calm pace and real interaction possibilities.
The COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES application from DYNSEO is precisely designed to meet these criteria. Intended for children from 5 years old, it offers educational games that stimulate cognitive abilities, with a unique feature: a mandatory sports break every 15 minutes. This design prevents excessive use and keeps physical activity at the heart of screen time. Discover COCO THINKS and COCO MOVES
Build a family culture around screens
The 0-3 years are also an opportunity to lay the foundations of a healthy family culture around screens. The habits and values you establish now will influence your child’s approach as they grow.
By showing yourself thoughtful screen use, by creating family rituals without screens, by valuing real-world activities, you build an environment where screens have their place but are not central. These foundations will greatly facilitate screen education in the following years.
Conclusion: protecting the foundations of development
The first three years of life are a period of fundamental construction of your child’s brain and abilities. Protecting this period from screen invasion means preserving the optimal conditions for this development.
This protection requires effort in a world where screens are omnipresent and where their use as a “babysitter” is tempting. But these efforts are an investment in your child’s future. By offering them rich experiences in the real world, quality interactions with their loved ones and a stimulating but not over-stimulating environment, you lay the foundations for harmonious development.
And when the time comes to gradually introduce screens, you will do so on solid foundations, with a child who will have developed their attention capacity, language, social skills and motor skills without the artificial help of digital technologies.
The resources offered by DYNSEO, from the training “Raising awareness about screens: understanding, acting, supporting” to educational applications designed for balanced use, accompany you at every stage of this educational journey, starting with this crucial period of the first years.
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Find other articles on digital education and parenting on the DYNSEO blog. To deepen these topics, discover our comprehensive training and our educational applications designed for healthy and enriching screen use.