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Speaking of Psychology · March 12, 2025 · 35m
Raising Children in the Digital Age
Developmental psychologist Roberta Golinkoff discusses how screens, apps, and digital media affect children's cognitive, social, and language development. When technology helps and when it hinders, and why the quality of digital interaction matters more than screen time quantity.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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Mills: children's language development depends on 'serve-and-return' interaction — the child makes a vocalization (serve) and the caregiver responds contingently (return). This back-and-forth is the engine of language acquisition, and no screen-based technology has replicated it effectively.
Highlights
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Interactive digital media can support learning — passive consumption cannot
Mills: not all screen time is equal for children. Interactive apps that require problem-solving, respond to the child's input, and scaffold learning can support development. Passive consumption (watching videos, scrolling) provides none of these features and displaces more developmentally valuable activities.Was this useful?