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For years, parents have been warned against handing a child a tablet or smartphone to stop a tantrum.
The practice, often called “using screens as a digital pacifier,” has been linked to concerns about children’s emotional development and self-regulation.
But a new study suggests the relationship may be more complicated than previously believed.
Research published in the Journal of Communication examined how children use media to help regulate difficult emotions—a behavior researchers call “media emotion regulation.”
Rather than finding a simple cause-and-effect relationship, the study found that in most children, screen use and emotional regulation appear to influence one another over time.
Jane Shawcroft, an assistant professor of communication at Ohio State who led the study, said screens can quickly soothe young children, making them an appealing option for many parents.
“Where the research points to this becoming a problem is when this is a part of a child’s day-to-day routine or interactions,” Shawcroft told Newsweek. “My general rule of thumb is to think of screens for calming as a true last resort or for special circumstances. On an airplane or long road trip? You bet I’d throw on a show.”
The researchers analyzed data from Project M.E.D.I.A., which followed children from roughly 2.5 years old to 7.5 years old over multiple years.
They identified different patterns among children, with the vast majority—about 87 percent—falling into a “bidirectional” group, meaning media use and executive functioning developed alongside and influenced each other.
Executive functions are the mental skills that help children focus, control impulses, remember instructions and manage emotions.
The findings challenge the idea that using screens to soothe a child inevitably harms those skills. Instead, the study suggests that for most children, the relationship is more nuanced.
According to the researchers, only a small proportion of children appeared to fit a pattern where media use consistently drove changes in executive functioning. Just 7 percent fell into this category.
The study also identified factors that may shape how children interact with screens.
Children whose parents experienced depression were less likely to belong to the bidirectional group and more likely to fall into the category where media use appeared to play a larger role in development.
The findings come amid ongoing debate about children’s screen time. Previous research has linked excessive screen use with emotional, behavioral and academic difficulties, while pediatric experts generally recommend limits, particularly for younger children.
However, the new research suggests parents may need to look beyond how much screen time a child gets and consider why it is being used.
Shawcroft said parents of younger children can gain insight into their child’s relationship with technology by observing how they respond when screen time ends.
“When an episode, video, or game level ends and it’s time to turn screens off and do something else, can they do that easily, or does it lead to tantrums or other problems?” she said. “That’s an easy way for parents to see the type of relationship with technology a child is developing.”
Reference
Shawcroft, J., McCall A, B., Porter, C.L., Van Alfen, M., Gale, M., Maximiano, L.A., Holmes, E.K., Coyne, S.M., Holmgren, H.G. and Jones, B.L. (2026). Media emotion regulation and executive functions: individual differences in temporal ordering among young children. [online] Journal of Communication. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqag009. [Accessed 14 July 2026].
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