For many UAE parents balancing work, school runs and the demands of family life, handing a toddler a phone or tablet can feel like an easy way to buy a few quiet minutes. However, doctors say the more important question is not always how much time a child spends on a screen — it is what that screen time may be replacing.
Research commissioned by The 1001 Critical Days Foundation and examining screen exposure during the first 1,001 days of life has renewed concerns about the potential impact of screens on children under two. The study links early screen exposure with possible long-term effects on health and quality of life, while calling for more urgent research into the risks smartphones, tablets and other digital devices may pose to infants.
The warning comes as much of the debate around children and technology — including plans to ban under-15s from social media — focuses on older children and teenagers.
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Doctors say this could leave a “baby blind spot”, overlooking the earliest years when children are rapidly developing language, attention, social skills and emotional regulation.
What the screen replaces
For Dr Siddharth Arora, Specialist Pediatrician at Medcare Women and Children Hospital, the central issue is not necessarily the device itself.
“It’s mostly what the screen replaces, not the screen itself. Babies and toddlers build language, attention, and emotional regulation through live, responsive interaction — a parent narrating what they’re doing, back-and-forth babble, pointing at things together,” he said.
That interaction is particularly important in the first years of life, when children learn through responding to people around them. A screen, he noted, cannot respond to a child’s cues in the same way.
“Screens are one-directional; they don’t respond to a child’s cues the way a person does. So when screen time crowds out talking, reading, and unstructured play, children lose thousands of these small interactions that wire early brain development,” Arora said.
He added that the type of content also matters, with fast-paced, passive content potentially being more problematic. But in his clinical experience, the bigger concern is often displacement — a screen filling time that might otherwise have been spent in language-rich, face-to-face interaction.
For parents in the UAE, where long working hours, indoor lifestyles and the summer heat can make screens an attractive form of entertainment, that distinction can be particularly relevant.
What should parents look out for?
Dr Mamata Bothra, Specialist in Paediatrics, and Neonatologist at International Modern Hospital Dubai, said parents may first notice changes in how their child responds to activities that require sustained attention.
“Parents may notice that a child has difficulty concentrating on activities that are slower than a screen, such as listening to a story, completing a simple puzzle or following instructions,” she said.
Other possible signs include limited or delayed language, reduced interest in conversation or interactive play, difficulty falling asleep, morning tiredness, irritability and frequent tantrums, particularly when a device is taken away.
Bothra also said some children may repeatedly ask for a phone or tablet and find it difficult to entertain themselves without one.
“Parents may also notice that the child prefers screens to playing with siblings or other children,” she said.
But doctors caution against assuming that every developmental or behavioural difficulty is caused by screen exposure.
“However, these symptoms should not automatically be blamed on screen time. Language delay, attention difficulties, sleep problems or changes in social behaviour can have many causes,” Bothra said.
“If they are persistent or affecting the child’s daily functioning, parents should discuss them with a paediatrician.”
That is an important distinction for parents who may otherwise find themselves worrying about whether every tantrum, speech delay or sleep problem is linked to screen use.
Don’t remove the screen, replace it
For families trying to cut back, Dr Pankaj Nandlal Tardeja, HOD and Specialist — General Paediatrics at NMC Speciality Hospital, Al Ain, advises against making the change an abrupt battle.
“I usually tell parents: do not suddenly take everything away — reduce it gradually and replace it with something better. Books, drawing, blocks, music, pretend play, helping with simple household activities and outdoor play can keep toddlers engaged,” he said.
He also stresses that reducing a young child’s screen use works best when parents follow the same rules themselves.
“Parents should also put their phones away and create simple, consistent rules — no screens during meals, no screens in bedrooms, no screens during family play, and no screens for at least an hour before bedtime,” Tardeja said.
Creating screen-free spaces and routines, he added, can make the rules feel normal rather than turning them into a daily argument.
Tardeja pointed to World Health Organisation guidance recommending no sedentary screen time for infants and one-year-olds, and no more than one hour a day for children aged two to four, with less being better.
For older children, he said, the focus is increasingly on balance — ensuring screen use does not come at the expense of sleep, physical activity, learning and real-life relationships.
And for parents trying to reset habits before the new school year, his advice is simple: the goal is not merely to take something away.
“Most importantly, don’t just remove the screen — replace it with attention, activity and connection.”
Source: Khaleej Times