Active
Involves engaging with content through thinking, responding, or problem-solving, like playing a strategy-based video game or playing chess on your phone.
Passive
Watching content without interaction or mental engagement, such as watching TV shows, YouTube videos, or scrolling through TikTok or Instagram Reels.
Interactive
Requires real-time participation or manipulation, like navigating a touchscreen book or playing a motion-based game.
Educational
Learning through digital tools, such as using a math learning app or watching an instructional video.
Social
Communicating or connecting with others through devices, like texting friends family, using video calls, and even using social media platforms to communicate and connect with people.
Creative
Self-expression and content creation, such as making digital art, creating videos for an online audience on social media, or editing videos.
A global study found that only about one third of preschool-aged children between 2 and 5 years old meet the American Academy of Physician Associates’ recommendation of limiting screen time to just one hour per day (McArthur et al.).
The gap between recommended and actual screen use highlights a growing disconnect between expert guidance and daily habits, underscoring how quickly digital media has outpaced efforts to regulate it. The fact that most young children exceed screen time limits signals a pressing need to address how families can realistically manage exposure during a critical stage of development.
Types of Screen Use
Screen time has become a normalized part of early childhood. Growing evidence suggests that excessive and unregulated use not only disrupts cognitive and behavioral development in preschoolers but also exposes young users to serious risks that current digital safeguards are struggling to prevent.
Research involving nearly 8 thousand children found that 1-year-olds exposed to more than four hours of screen time per day showed delays in communication and problem-solving by ages 2 and 4 (Cross). Another study reported that preschoolers who spent more than two hours a day on screens had an almost 800 percent increased risk of developing ADHD symptoms (Lakicevic et al.).
The timing of these developmental delays suggests that excessive screen use may disrupt the pace at which young children typically build cognitive and attentional skills. The sharp rise in ADHD risk also raises questions about how early exposure might affect the brain's ability to manage impulse control and sustained focus over time, which the video delves further into.
These cases brings attention to the real-world consequences of unmonitored online trends and how quickly harmful content can reach young users. While privacy protections make it difficult to find legal cases involving children aged 2 to 5, these examples involving slightly older children still illustrate the serious risks that arise when harmful content goes unchecked. The repetition of the same dangerous challenge across multiple incidents and the influence of disordered messaging on vulnerable users reveal how quickly online environments can become unsafe. These cases serve as a stark reminder that the risks of digital platforms are not hypothetical. They have already led to documented harm and loss.
Why is this issue urgent?
The 2021 case Anderson v. TikTok emerged after Tawainna Anderson’s 10-year-old daughter, Nyah, tragically died while attempting the “Blackout Challenge,” a trend that encouraged self-asphyxiation, or chocking oneself til you lose conciseness (FindLaw).
After being exposed to harmful content promoting extreme calorie restriction, including messages urging users to eat “under 500 calories” a day, 12-year-old K.S. developed a severe eating disorder that led to a two-week hospitalization. Her family filed a personal injury lawsuit against TikTok, holding the platform responsible for fueling the condition (Social Media Victims Law Center).
In July 2022, the parents of 8-year-old Lalani Erika Walton and 9-year-old Arriani Jaileen Arroyo filed a wrongful death lawsuit against TikTok. According to the suit, both children died from accidental self-strangulation while attempting the viral “Blackout Challenge” (Social Media Victims Law Center), same as Nyah Anderson.
The effects of screen time extend beyond academic performance and behavior. As digital platforms become more embedded in daily life, addressing their impact on young children requires not just guidance but urgent, proactive solutions.