Children benefit from the right sort of screen time

Noted: It?s not just the type of screen that matters, but what is on that screen. “The best research suggests that the content children view is the best predictor of cognitive effects,” says Heather Kirkorian who studies cognitive development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Children will learn from what they watch, whether that means learning letters and numbers, slapstick humour or aggressive behaviour,” she says, adding that children who watch age-appropriate, educational TV programmes often do better on tests of school readiness.