Children’s Screen Use Linked to Long-Term Difficulties w/ Claire Reid: May 7th 2026

New research from the University of Auckland has found children’s screen use is linked with later difficulties in skills like attention, planning, self-control, and emotional regulation. The study pulled together 58 studies from around the world, with 81 percent showing at least one negative association between screen use and executive function over time. Researchers caution this does not prove causation, but say the findings raise important questions about how screen use affects children’s development. Producer Pranuja spoke with Doctoral Researcher Claire Reid about what the research found, what executive function actually means, and how parents, schools, and policymakers should think about healthy screen use.