A Pill to Control Tantrums? Research Says It Reduces a Child’s Ability to Cope with Anger

We often hear about the impact of screen time on children’s brains and behaviours. But many parents give in when their little one throws a tantrum over a tablet. Scientists are now warning that this can lead to a vicious cycle, as it can weaken a child’s ability to manage anger and enhance the number of tantrums.

Research shows that screen time among youthful children has skyrocketed from just 5 minutes a day in 2020 to 55 minutes a day in 2022. Tablets are particularly appealing to children due to their interactive touchscreens, personalized content, and portability, making them part of their daily routine.

Researchers in a up-to-date study found that early tablet utilize may “contribute to a cycle that is detrimental to emotional regulation.”

“We found that children’s time spent using a tablet computer increased their expressions of anger and frustration, and that greater expressions of anger/frustration led to more repeated tablet utilize, likely leading to a cycling effect over time,” the researchers wrote in test published in the journal Jama Pediatrics.

The researchers used questionnaires to examine each child’s daily screen utilize and emotional regulation among 315 parents from the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. All of the participants had preschool-age children. The children were tracked from age 3.5 to age 5.5 to assess their expressions of anger or frustration.

The researchers found that just an extra hour of screen time per day at age three-and-a-half was associated with significant increases in the child’s anger and frustration levels a year later.

“Children’s tablet utilize at age 3.5 years was associated with more anger and frustration expressions at age 4.5 years. Children’s anger/frustration proneness at age 4.5 years was associated with more tablet utilize at age 5.5 years,” the researchers wrote.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting screen time to no more than 1 hour per day for children aged two to five. They recommend incorporating other activities to keep children’s bodies and minds engaged. When choosing media, parents should opt for interactive, non-violent, educational, and pro-social programs.