Not talking yet? What? Your adorable bundle of smartness who is excelling in all areas is not using language yet? Interestingly, handheld screen time is linked to expressive speech delays according to new research from the Pediatric Academic Societies. The study shows that by 18 month, 20% of children had daily average handheld device use of 28 minutes. The more handheld screen time reported the more likely the child was to have delays in expressive speech. The report noted that for each 30 min increase in handheld screen time there was a 49% increase risk of expressive speech delay. Some children will naturally have delayed expressive speech and catch up quite adequately when they are ready. However, plan to monitor and limit screen time of all ages and discourage screen time under 18 months all together!
