A study published in the Journal of Communication found that screen use and cognitive skills often predict one another over time in children, rather than following a single direction of cause and effect [psypost.org]. The researchers reported that the pattern varied by child: for most, screen use and cognitive development influenced each other, while in a smaller group screen use primarily predicted later cognitive outcomes [psypost.org]. The study examined media emotion regulation, in which parents use smartphones, tablets or television to calm children experiencing intense emotions. It focused on executive functions that develop rapidly in early childhood, including cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control [psypost.org]. Separate research in Singapore examined what happens in babies’ brains during screen exposure, while another study reported an association between emerging blink rates in early childhood and the neural origins of executive function [straitstimes.com][reddit.com]. Highlights: • Executive-function role: These mental skills help children plan, focus attention and manage multiple tasks, and they form a foundation for academic and social success [psypost.org] • Research network: Teams at NUS Medicine and A*STAR are among researchers worldwide investigating the impact of screen exposure on growing children [straitstimes.com] Sources: • Screen time and cognitive skills often predict each other over time, but the pattern varies by child - psypost.org • Emergent blink rate in early childhood is associated with neural origins of executive function - reddit.com • What happens inside a baby’s brain when looking at screens? S’pore study shows the impact - straitstimes.com --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News