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Children who use electronic media more frequently tend to show lower levels of attention, while independent reading is associated with better concentration. These are the findings of a survey of more than 1,000 children conducted as part of the LIFE Child study at Leipzig University’s Faculty of Medicine. The research was recently published in the journal BMC Pediatrics.
The use of electronic media such as television, smartphones and tablets is often accompanied by rapid shifts in attention, as new stimuli are constantly presented. Reading, on the other hand, requires sustained concentration. On this basis, researchers at the Faculty of Medicine examined the hypothesis that screen use is associated with lower sustained attention in children, whereas reading is linked to better sustained attention.
To measure attention performance, a total of 1,057 children in two age groups – 3 to 6.5 years and 6.5 to 11 years – completed a computer-based test. They were asked to respond to a specific image by pressing a key and to refrain from reacting to other images. During the seven-minute test, researchers recorded so-called errors of omission (reflecting reduced sustained attention) and false reactions (reflecting poor impulse control). At the same time, parents reported their child’s daily screen time (for children aged three and older) and the frequency of independent reading (for children aged six and older).
The main findings: “Children in both age groups who used screen media more frequently made more errors in the test than those with less screen time. Among pre-schoolers in particular, we observed a link between watching films or series and reduced impulse control. In primary school children, extensive use of films, series or video games was associated with lower sustained attention,” explains Dr Tanja Poulain, lead author of the study and researcher at the LIFE Child project at the Faculty of Medicine.
By contrast, primary school children who regularly read independently made fewer errors in the computer-based test, suggesting that reading is linked to better attention performance. The study also found that, overall, girls made fewer errors than boys.
The results support previous findings that frequent media use is associated with reduced attention. Unlike comparable studies, which relied on self-reports or parental questionnaires, the Leipzig data is based on standardised cognitive tests. Moreover, the researchers found that not only reading ability – which previous research has often examined in relation to attention – but also reading frequency is positively linked to concentration. The researchers emphasise that the results do not demonstrate causality, but they underline the importance of moderate digital media use and of encouraging reading among children.
The LIFE Child study, now in its 14th year at Leipzig University’s Faculty of Medicine, includes data from more than 6,000 children from Leipzig and the surrounding region. It enables detailed investigations into how environmental and lifestyle factors influence the physical and mental development of children and adolescents.
Translation: Matthew Rockey
Dr Tanja Poulain
Researcher at LIFE Child
Email: tanja.poulain@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Original publication in BMC Pediatrics: Performance on an attention test is positively related to reading but negatively related to watching TV and playing video games in children. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-06260-w
In the computer-based test, the children had to concentrate intensely for seven minutes without a br ...
Source: LIFE Child study
Copyright: Leipzig University
Dr Tanja Poulain
Source: privat
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