Heavy Screen Time Before Age Two Tied to Brain-Development Shifts and Later Anxiety, Singapore Study Finds

Overview

• Infants with high screen exposure showed faster maturation in brain networks for visual processing and self-regulation, according to the study.
• Those early patterns were linked to slower decision-making and increased anxiety during adolescence.
• The analysis drew on Singapore’s Growing Up in Singapore Towards Healthy Outcomes cohort and was published in eBioMedicine.
• Children underwent multiple brain scans across early childhood, allowing researchers to track how network connectivity evolved over time.
• Screen use reported at ages three and four did not show the same associations, pointing to a particularly sensitive window in the first two years, and the authors say the results can inform parenting and early-childhood policy.