Does spending too much time on smartphones and tablets damage kids’ development?

Quoted: Heather Kirkorian, who heads up the Cognitive Development & Media Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, agrees. “The extent to which parents are tied up with these devices in ways that disrupt the interactions with the child has potential for a far bigger impact,” she says. “If I’m on the floor with a child but checking my phone every five minutes, what message does that send?” How much parents play with and talk to their kids is a very powerful predictor of how the kids will develop, she adds.