Professor Karen Heffler

I'm Karen Heffler.

I'm a researcher at Drexel University.

How has the world changed over this period of time?

Babies, children used to be first exposed in the 70s at about four years of age.

That's the first time they watched any television.

By about 2006, it was at four months of age.

So before the study... The children at the beginning, a lot of them didn't really pay attention to their parents.

They might be spinning wheels on a car or lining up items or just distracted with sensory like flapping or looking at lights, not really interested.

And then after basically no screen time?

The eye contact got better.

They wanted to be with the parents.

They started paying attention to people.

But it wasn't just turning off the screens.

We met with them for one hour every week and worked on strategies to help them engage their children socially.

So eye contact.

So if a baby coos or babbles, then the parent would smile back or maybe, you know, imitate the child.

Or we would suggest that they hold interesting items to their children up to their eyes.

And if the child looked at them, then say, oh, great looking.

Oh, I love to see your eyes.

really positive reinforcement.