AI, Screen Time and Young Children in Early Development

Why read this

• Practical insight for parents worried about screen time and early development

• Explains how AI and the digital environment shape childhood, not just device use

• Connects research, lived experience, and social context

• Offers a hopeful, child-centred perspective

AI, young children and the digital ecology we are choosing

Last week I was chatting to a LEYF teacher about the media panic about screentime.

“Parents tell us their children don’t use phones. But we see babies trying to swipe the page of a book to make it turn. We see toddlers pressing their fingers on wooden toys waiting for them to light up.”

Children are mimics. They absorb the world long before we think we are teaching them. So even when screen use is not deliberate, the digital environment is already shaping their expectations of how life works: fast, responsive, frictionless, always on.

That is why the current debate about AI and screen time is far too small. Because this is not about screens. This is about childhood.

AI sits inside a much bigger system

AI is not a shiny new tool that has suddenly appeared in our nurseries. It is part of a wider digital ecology that includes television, tablets, phones, games, social media, algorithms and interactive assistants like Alexa. When you consider what children are actually navigating, platforms built to maximise engagement and revenue, the endless scroll and autoplay, the algorithm feeds, largely designed to capture attention, collect data, and generate profit. It’s easy to criticise families for not limiting their children’s screen time in a system that is professionally engineered to override human self-regulation. If adults struggle with endless scroll and autoplay, how can we expect a three-year-old to walk away?

This is not a failure of parenting. It is a failure of policy, design and public imagination.

A social justice issue hiding in plain sight

The children with the least access to safe outdoor space, libraries, community provision and time with unhurried adults are the children most surrounded by screens. Not because their parents care less. Because they have fewer choices.

When you are working long hours, when your housing is overcrowded, when the park does not feel safe, when childcare is fragile and expensive, the tablet becomes the third space.

So, when research tells us that children in lower-income families spend significantly longer on screens and have weaker vocabulary outcomes, we must be honest. This is not about behaviour. This is about poverty.

We already know what grows language and thinking: books, talk, play, movement, nursery, relationships. When screens displace those, the gap widens. AI, digital media and early development are now equity issues.

What the science tells us and what we see in practice

Those of us in Early Years see the patterns every day. When the digital ecosystem is designed with children’s unique developmental needs in mind, it can genuinely support learning and well-being. In contrast, digital ecosystems that prioritise engagement, commercialisation and advertising revenue encourage prolonged use, displacing healthy behaviours and making it harder for children to sustain attention in real-world play. Babies under 18 months often struggle to transfer information from screens to real life because of immature cognitive skills. Heavy use of non-educational or solo screen media is linked to delays in language, cognition, social–emotional skills, executive functioning and fine motor development, as well as reduced time spent reading or engaging in pretend play. Short-form videos may predict engagement and personalise algorithmic recommendations more quickly than long-form content, which is particularly evident among the millions of children watching YouTube Shorts — many of whom are now speaking with American accents. We also see disrupted sleep, and when devices are used for calming, the effect often reverses once the device is removed, leaving children cross, upset and struggling to self-regulate.

When digital media is used with an adult, slowly, thoughtfully, as a shared experience, it can support language, curiosity and connection. High-quality educational media can support preschoolers’ prosocial behaviour, language development, and some early STEM learning especially when adults watch and engage with children.

So, the question is not “How much screen time?” The real questions are:

• What is the child not doing because the screen is on?

• Is it replacing movement, talk, sleep, imagination, relationships?

• Is it being used for co-regulation or as a substitute for it?

• Who benefits from the persuasive and manipulative design of the platform, the child or the business model?

The limits still matter

The World Health Organisation guidance gives us an important anchor:

• Under twos: no screen time

• Two to four: no more than one hour

• Older children: clear recreational limits

And the relational rules matter:

No screens before bed. Shared viewing, not solitary scrolling. Whole-family screen-free times.

But if we stop there, we let the system off the hook

Early Years must lead this conversation

We cannot continue to use public money to fund early education while allowing a parallel digital economy to undermine children’s development. If we are serious about AI and children, then we need:

• investment in libraries, parks and community spaces

• a properly funded Early Years system that gives children real alternatives

• regulation that demands child-centred design

• a national conversation about attention as a public good

This is not anti-technology. It is pro-child.

The hopeful part – because there is always a hopeful part

In our nurseries I also see something else.

Children lying on the floor looking at real books. Teachers singing, moving, laughing with them. Mud kitchens, blocks, paint, dens and trees. Deep concentration that no algorithm can manufacture.

That is the environment children are biologically designed for.

So, during AI Week, the question is not whether technology is good or bad. The question is whether we are brave enough to design a digital world that is worthy of our youngest citizens. Because Early Years has always been political.

And if we do not speak for children’s right to play, to rest, to move, to talk, to belong in real spaces with real people, then the market will continue to shape their childhood in its own image. And we will see it first in the way they try to swipe the page of a book.

Look out for my Podcast with Katy Potts examining more detail on the impact of the digital ecosystem.

FAQ

Is screen time harmful for young children?

Screen time itself isn’t inherently harmful. The impact depends on a child’s age, the type of content, and whether it replaces sleep, play, movement, and interaction with adults.

How much screen time should young children have?

Guidance from the World Health Organisation suggests no screen time for children under 2 and no more than 1 hour per day for children aged 2 to 4, with clear recreational limits for older children.

What matters more than the amount of screen time for young children?

Context matters most — what the child is missing while the screen is on. Talk, play, relationships, sleep, and movement are the key drivers of early development.

Can AI and digital media support learning in early childhood?

Yes, when content is high quality and used with an adult as a shared experience. Co-viewing can support language, curiosity, and connection.

Why do screens affect attention and behaviour?

Many digital platforms are designed to maximise engagement through autoplay, short-form content, and personalised recommendations, which can make it harder for young children to disengage and sustain attention in real-world play.

Is screen time a social or equity issue?

Often, yes. Children with less access to safe outdoor space, community resources, and time with unhurried adults are more likely to spend longer on screens because families have fewer alternatives.

What are healthier screen habits for families?

Shared viewing, no screens before bed, device-free family times, and prioritising play, conversation, and outdoor experiences.

What should parents focus on instead of just limits?

Think about balance: ensuring screens don’t displace relationships, play, rest, and opportunities for children to explore the real world.

How does the LEYF pedagogy enable healthy child development?

Contact one of our experts