A Majority of Parents Admit Even Youngest Kids Need a “Digital Detox”
New research reveals children are fluent in technology before they can read
While the long-term impacts of excessive screen time have yet to be fully uncovered, many are worried about the potential effect on kids’ mental health. According to the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, Parents Under Pressure, the rapid adoption and evolution of technology and social media pose new risks to children’s health and safety.
Convenience Conundrum
More than half of parents (
“Screens are essentially unavoidable today, but families should be cautious and deliberate about introducing children to screen-based activities in the early years. This can be hard to hear and feel impractical, but the more guardrails you put in place early, the less you’ll have to do retroactively,” said Rachel Robertson, Chief Academic Officer at Bright Horizons, a leading provider of high-quality early childhood education and care. “Technology of all kinds is designed to make our lives easier, so naturally, parents occasionally find themselves using it as a way to manage behaviors, especially in high-stress environments.”
Parents harbor plenty of concerns when it comes to their children, but at the top of the list, behind their children’s safety (
Making Time for Screen-Free Play
Many parents also recognize that excessive technology use could be taking away from time children spend on more productive activities. Around 3 in 5 (
When children participate in unstructured, imaginative play offline, they are developing important skills that can’t be achieved through screen time. Play relieves stress and increases happiness, builds feelings of empathy, creativity, and collaboration, and supports the growth of sturdiness and grit. When children are limited in their opportunities for play, their development can be significantly impaired.
Robertson adds, “For that reason, it is critically important to ensure we’re carving out time for kids to engage in unstructured play, explore the world around them, develop friendships offline, and garner a love for reading from a young age. Developing these cognitive, linguistic, social-emotional, and physical skills is crucial to ensuring kids aren’t just prepared for school, but to be successful throughout their whole lives.”
About the Bright Horizons Modern Family Index
Over the past decade, Bright Horizons has tracked trends impacting working families through its annual Modern Family Index (MFI), highlighting the unique challenges and priorities they’ve faced. In 2025, the report has been refreshed and will encompass several waves of survey data focused on timely topics to be released throughout the year.
To download the 2025 Bright Horizons Modern Family Index, click here.
Research Method
The research was conducted online within
Respondents are selected among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. The sample data is accurate to within ± 2.5 percentage points using a
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to other multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including, but not limited to coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments.
About Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.
Bright Horizons® is a leading global provider of high-quality early education and childcare, back-up care, and workforce education services. For more than 35 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. Bright Horizons operates more than 1,000 early education and childcare centers in
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250319262303/en/
Laura McDowell
Laura.McDowell@brighthorizons.com
Source: Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.