When gadgets replace conversation: Are children missing out on crucial interaction?
Welcome to Stomping Ground — a space where Stompers share reflections, personal essays and social commentaries that spark conversation and insight.
Gadgets may be an easy way to keep young children entertained, but could too much screen time come at the expense of something essential?
Stomper Anisah Rahmawati, a public sector accounting student at Universitas Harkat Negeri in Indonesia, believes excessive gadget use can reduce opportunities for young children to interact with those around them and potentially affect their language development.
She said it has become common to see children engrossed in phones and tablets at restaurants, shopping malls, waiting rooms and even at home.
“Many parents give their children gadgets as a practical way to calm them down when they’re fussy, keep them occupied while the parents are working, or simply to fill their free time,” she said.
However, Anisah feels the convenience may come with a downside when screens begin replacing face-to-face interaction.
“In fact, during their formative years, children need conversation, responses and two-way communication as an essential part of their language development,” she said.
“When screen time outweighs time spent interacting with family, children’s opportunities to learn to speak and communicate become increasingly limited.”
Children learn through interaction
Anisah pointed out that children develop language skills by listening, imitating and responding — all of which happen through everyday interactions.
Simple activities such as talking, reading stories, answering questions and playing together can help children learn new vocabulary, understand conversations and gain confidence in expressing themselves.
“The more often children are involved in conversations, the more vocabulary and language skills they can master,” she said.
She believes excessive gadget use could reduce these opportunities, particularly when children passively watch videos instead of interacting with others.
“As a result, children tend to merely receive information passively, without many opportunities to speak, ask questions or respond to conversations,” she said.
Her concerns echo Singapore’s recent efforts to encourage healthier screen habits among children.
Under Grow Well SG, launched in January 2025, the Ministry of Health (MOH) updated its screen-use guidance for children aged up to 12. The national initiative aims to help children develop healthy habits in areas including screen use, sleep, physical activity and nutrition.
The guidelines recommend no screen use for children under 18 months, except interactive video chatting, and less than one hour of screen use a day outside school for those aged 18 months to six years. Parents are also advised not to use screens simply to occupy or distract children and to co-view and discuss age-appropriate content with them when screens are used.
MOH said research has found an association between inappropriate and excessive screen use among infants and toddlers and poorer language skills and shorter attention spans.
Singapore’s approach to healthier digital habits for children
Singapore has also stepped up efforts to help families manage children’s screen use as they grow older.
The Screen Smart From The Start national movement, launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, includes the Be Screen Smart portal, which provides parents with practical tips and resources tailored to children of different age groups.
At its launch, Mr Wong encouraged parents to protect screen-free family time, such as during meals, avoid relying on devices as “babysitters”, and consider starting children with internet-free phones before giving them smartphones.
Schools are also tightening restrictions.
Secondary school students are not allowed to use smartphones and smartwatches during school hours, including during recess, CCAs and other school programmes, except when teachers permit their use for educational purposes.
Restrictions have also been introduced for school-issued Personal Learning Devices (PLDs), with the default sleep time under their device management settings brought forward to 10.30pm.
The measures reflect a broader push to establish healthier digital habits both at home and in school.
Parents still have the biggest role to play
However, managing children’s screen habits is often easier said than done.
An inaugural survey by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) involving nearly 2,000 parents found that more than half of children aged two to six exceeded the recommended one-hour daily screen limit on weekdays, with the figure rising to 81 per cent on weekends.
The survey also found that 37 per cent of parents wanted greater government intervention to help manage their children’s digital well-being.
For Anisah, parents can start by setting age-appropriate limits, supervising what their children watch and balancing screen use with activities that encourage interaction.
This could be as simple as reading stories together, playing or involving children in conversations during everyday activities.
Parents can also respond to a baby’s babbling, initiate conversations even before a child can respond clearly and use simple language appropriate for their developmental stage, she said.
“Ultimately, children need not only engaging content but also parents who are present to listen, respond and interact with them,” said Anisah.
“If we want our children to grow up with strong communication skills, what we need to increase is not screen time, but time spent interacting with them.”
Have your say on Stomping Ground! Write to us at stomp@sph.com.sg or WhatsApp 9384 3761.
Explore more on these topics
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
