Dr. Burcu Ünlütabak, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, American University of Sharjah explains why early development depends less on digital exposure and more on human interaction.

In the early years (ages 2–5), what does research tell us about how children learn best? Why are activities like physical play, sensory exploration and face-to-face interaction considered more developmentally important than passive screen viewing?

How young children learn has long been a central question in developmental psychology. While Jean Piaget’s classic framework portrays children as “active learners” who build understanding through direct, hands-on exploration, contemporary research suggests this is only part of the story. Paul Harris (2012) expands on this by demonstrating that learning is also shaped by social exchange, where children gain critical knowledge through communicating, asking questions, and engaging in dialogue.

If we are more specific, young children are indeed active learners in a Piagetian sense. However, by around age 3 or 4, language and social interaction become just as important as physical exploration and observation. At this stage, children express their curiosity about the world not only through action, but also through words. Their questions play a key role in advancing their understanding.

This is why activities like play, hands-on exploration, and face-to-face interaction are so powerful. They allow children to actively engage, test ideas, and receive immediate, meaningful feedback from others. In contrast, passive screen viewing provides far fewer opportunities for this kind of contingent interaction.

Many parents worry that even short exposure to screens in nursery classrooms may affect attention or language development. From a child psychology perspective, what actually matters more: whether screens exist in the classroom, or how and how long they are used?

From a developmental perspective, the answer is: it depends.

It depends on the child’s age, but also on the quality, content, and context of screen use. In the very early years, especially under age 2–3, research shows that children learn remarkably little from passive video alone. For example, infants exposed to “educational” videos do not learn more words than those who are not exposed, whereas learning improves when parents actively engage with them (e.g., DeLoache et al., 2013). Similarly, studies on language development show that infants learn speech sounds from live social interaction, but not from watching the same material on a screen (Kuhl et al., 2003).

These findings point to a key principle: social interaction is not optional—it is fundamental for early learning, especially for early language and cognitive development.

At the same time, we are living in a world where screens and AI tools are part of everyday life. As children grow older, especially as they enter school age, they can begin to learn from digital sources, including search tools and interactive technologies. But even then, what matters most is whether these tools are interactive, meaningful, and ideally socially supported. A growing body of research on children and digital media highlights that learning in these contexts is most effective when it is embedded in human interaction and guided use (e.g., Zosh et al., 2023).

So the real question is not whether screens should exist in the classroom, but whether they are replacing or supporting human interaction. Screens can be useful when they are used intentionally, briefly, and interactively. But they should never substitute for the kinds of rich, back-and-forth social experiences that drive early learning.

Practical takeaways for caregivers and teachers:

• Prioritize interaction over exposure: conversations, questions, and shared activities matter more than any screen content.
• If screens are used, choose interactive and age-appropriate content, and use it together with the child when possible.
• Ensure that screen time does not replace play, exploration, and face-to-face
• As children grow older, support them in using digital tools actively (e.g., asking questions, exploring ideas) rather than passively consuming content.