Optimising Cognitive Challenge in Early Digital Experiences

This project will investigate how video content impacts preschoolers’ executive functions and develop evidence-based strategies for equitable digital media experiences. 

Why is this important?

The intensity of childhood screen exposure is increasing year-on-year. In 2024, UK children watched approximately 3 hours of video content per day, 20% of their waking life. Content is increasingly streamed online, with children viewing 28% of video content via YouTube. The sensory-cognitive stimulation provided by such content far exceeds that of reality, potentially shaping cognitive development during the first few years of peak neural plasticity.  Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds spend longer on video-sharing platforms, where the content is generally less age-appropriate and the algorithmic recommendations drive children to intense, less predictable content. 

Concerned parents, policymakers, and scientists have questioned the potential impact of “screen time” on preschoolers’ cognitive development, with some authorities recommending strict limits on the duration and type of content shown to children. However, these recommendations often overlook the potential benefits of age-appropriate media designed to support cognitive development.  

What does it involve?

This project addresses the gap by exploring the interplay between family context, video content, and executive function development. The following questions will be answered: 

• What factors influence parental decision-making around content suitability in preschool children, with a focus on child-specific factors and broader socioeconomic? 

• Does the ‘unpredictability’ of video content (both stimulus- and narrative-level predictability) measured using AI-based computational tools, account for executive function depletion in 3-year-old children? 

• Is executive function depletion greater in children with higher ‘executive function risk’ (e.g. those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds)? 

• Can the ‘optimal’ level of cognitive challenge during video viewing be characterised? 

The research will involve: 

• Focus groups and interviews with families and parents to understand factors influencing media choices.   

• Use of AI tools to analyse children’s video corpus for unpredictability features and an online test with three-year-olds to assess the impact on executive function depletion. 

• Identification of videos linked to increased executive function task performance and manipulation of these to vary the unpredictability features. A sample of children would view the videos; eye tracking technology would record executive attention during viewing of the clips and standardised tests would measure EF skills immediately afterwards. 

How will it make a difference?

In addition to journal articles, conference papers, and blog posts, the code for extracting ‘predictability’ features from video-content will be made publicly available. An Early Years Advisory Panel and a Children’s Media Creatives Panel will co-develop guidelines for families and children’s media content creators.