Listen to episode eight of the Screen Deep podcast, Language Development, Learning, and Play in Early Childhood, featuring host Kris Perry and guest Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, for a deep dive on how language develops in early childhood, why social interaction and play are critical for fostering communication skills, and the ways in which digital media might interfere with these foundational processes.

Missed earlier episodes? Looking for show notes? Visit the Screen Deep archive to access all previous episodes and catch up on the conversations you've missed. The next episode drops January 29th!

Now Open: Registration for the 2025 Digital Media and Developing Minds International Scientific Congress!

Join us for this four-day event bringing together leading researchers, clinicians, educators, government representatives, and other experts to examine the impact of digital media on the development of children and adolescents. 

🕒 Early Bird Deadline: March 30, 2025

🕒 Standard Deadline: June 30, 2025

A limited number of scholarships are available to support registration and travel costs. Learn more.

Zero to Three will host its LEARN Conference on October 8-9, 2025. The conference will bring together educators, researchers, clinicians, and other professionals for a series of educational events focused on early learning, child development, and more, as well as networking opportunities. Learn More.

Design It For Us has released its Declaration of Digital Rights, distilling the values and rights youth identify with in the context of a digital world. Learn More.

The start of 2025 marks a pivotal time in digital policy, with new leadership in the White House, a law targeting TikTok's ownership under scrutiny, and ongoing debates about the regulation of social media and artificial intelligence. Despite the failure of key federal legislation like KOSA and COPPA 2.0 in 2024, bipartisan momentum offers hope for pragmatic reforms, while state-level initiatives continue to shape the landscape of online safety for children.

“Association between parental phubbing and short-form video addiction: A moderated mediation analysis among Chinese adolescents.” Journal of Affective Disorders, January 2025.

“Examining the relationship between language development, executive function, and screen time: A systematic review.” PLOS One, December 2024.

“Prospective association between screen use modalities and substance use experimentation in early adolescents.” Drug and Alcohol Dependence, November 2024.

1 million+ Views and Counting for the Children and Screens Handbook!

The recently-released “Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence” has taken the world by storm, surpassing 1 million views in its first month of release.

Haven’t read it yet? Visit Springer Nature to view and download this free, open access resource. Dive into the latest research on how digital media impacts children’s development and well-being and join the growing community of readers engaging with this essential guide.