The use of digital devices among very young children is quickly spreading, although the effects of screen time on emotional and cognitive functioning are still debated. In a sample of N = 422 children and their mothers, this 4-year longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that the use of digital devices as smartphones and tablets at 4 years of age is related to later dysregulation symptoms and to lower academic achievements both at 6 and 8 years of age. Children’s mothers were asked whether or not their offspring had access to digital devices and what was their average screen time on a typical day. Mothers were also requested to specify whether they used to participate in their children’s activities during screen time and to report their offspring emotional/behavioral functioning. Children’s teachers were administered the Teachers Report Form including the competence part to evaluate academic achievements and possible dysregulation symptoms of their students. The Structural Equation Modeling showed that screen time at 4 years of age, the child was directly, positively and significantly associated with dysregulation and negatively associated with mathematics and literacy grades at 8 years of age of the child. These results could help orientate the guidelines for the use of digital devices by very young children.

尽管屏幕时间对情绪和认知功能的影响仍存在争议，但在年幼的儿童中数字设备的使用正在迅速普及。在N的样本中= 422名儿童及其母亲，这项为期4年的纵向研究旨在评估以下假设：在4岁时使用数字设备作为智能手机和平板电脑与以后的机体失调症状有关，并降低了6岁和8岁时的学业成绩。年龄。询问儿童的母亲，他们的后代是否可以使用数字设备，以及他们在典型一天中的平均放映时间是多少。还要求母亲说明他们是否曾经在放映期间参加孩子的活动，并报告其后代的情感/行为功能。对儿童教师进行了“教师报告表”的管理，其中包括胜任力部分，以评估学生的学业成绩和可能出现的失调症状。结构方程模型显示，在4岁时，孩子的筛查时间与失调直接，积极和显着相关，而在8岁时，孩子的数学和读写能力则与之呈负相关。这些结果可能有助于确定年幼儿童使用数字设备的准则。