Scientists say gadgets don’t solve the problem of childhood tantrums

A new study conducted by scientists from Hungary and Canada shows that using digital devices to calm children during emotional outbursts may have negative consequences in the long run, reports sciencetv.ru.

According to research published in the journal Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, children who are regularly offered gadgets to help them cope with tantrums later have more difficulty dealing with anger and frustration.

Professor Caroline Fitzpatrick from the University of Sherbrooke notes that while digital distractions are effective in the short term, they prevent children from developing important emotion regulation skills.

During the study, 300 parents of preschool children completed surveys about their media use over the course of a year. The results showed that frequent use of “digital emotion regulation” leads to a deterioration in children’s ability to cope with negative emotions.

Dr Veronica Konok from Eötvös Loránd University emphasises how important it is for children to learn to deal with their emotions on their own, with the support of their parents, and not with the help of electronic devices.

The researchers also found that the more often a child threw a tantrum, the more likely parents were to reach for gadgets, which only made the problem worse.

Psychologists recommend that parents do not avoid situations that may be stressful for them, but help their children learn to recognize and deal with their emotions.