Understanding the Groundbreaking Singapore Study on Infant Screen Time

A landmark research publication from Singapore has illuminated the long-term consequences of excessive screen exposure in infancy. Published in late 2025 in eBioMedicine, a journal under The Lancet, the study titled "Neurobehavioural links from infant screen time to anxiety" draws from the nation's largest birth cohort, the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) study. Researchers from the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)'s Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), alongside experts from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and National University Health System (NUHS), tracked 168 children from birth through adolescence. Their findings reveal a direct pathway: high screen time before age two alters brain network development, leading to slower decision-making around age eight and heightened anxiety symptoms by age 13.

This work underscores a critical window in early childhood brain development, where the brain's neural connections are rapidly forming. Screens, often used as digital babysitters in busy households, deliver intense visual stimulation that can disrupt natural maturation processes. In Singapore, a tech-forward society with high dual-income family rates, such insights are particularly timely, prompting parents and educators to rethink digital habits from the start.

Delving into the GUSTO Cohort and Study Methodology

The GUSTO cohort, launched in 2009, follows over 1,200 mother-child pairs recruited from KK Women's and Children's Hospital and National University Hospital. For this analysis, researchers focused on 168 participants with complete data across key milestones. Infant screen time—total daily hours on TVs, tablets, or phones—was parent-reported at ages one and two, averaging 2.17 hours per day, far exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of zero minutes under two years.

Brain development was assessed using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) at ages 4.5, 6, and 7.5 years. This advanced imaging technique maps white matter tracts, revealing network integration between visual processing areas and cognitive control regions like the prefrontal cortex. Decision-making was measured at age 8.5 via the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT), a standardized test where children decide on gambles based on color ratios, tracking metrics like deliberation time—the pause before acting. Finally, anxiety at age 13 used the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), a validated questionnaire scoring worry, social anxiety, and physical symptoms.

Statistical analysis employed latent growth models and serial mediation to trace the pathway, controlling for maternal education and income. This rigorous, longitudinal design—spanning over a decade—provides stronger evidence than cross-sectional snapshots, highlighting directional links rather than mere correlations.

Brain Network Changes: Accelerated Maturation and Its Costs

One of the study's most striking revelations is how excessive infant screen time accelerates brain network maturation. Typically, young brains exhibit high integration between visual and cognitive control networks, fostering flexibility. However, children with higher screen exposure showed a steeper decline in this integration (beta coefficient -1.03), akin to premature specialization.

Lead researcher Assistant Professor Tan Ai Peng explains: "The first few years are when the brain learns from real-world experiences. Excessive visual stimulation from screens limits flexibility and resilience." This "premature specialisation" means the brain wires for rapid visual processing—useful for scrolling videos—but at the expense of adaptable cognitive control, essential for nuanced decision-making and emotional regulation later.

In practical terms, this manifests as subtle but persistent shifts. For instance, visual networks mature faster, potentially explaining why screen-heavy toddlers fixate intensely but struggle with broader environmental cues.

Slower Decision-Making: Evidence from the Cambridge Gambling Task

By age 8.5, children with altered brain trajectories took longer to deliberate in the CGT—about 25% slower on average. Deliberation time here measures the strategic pause: assessing risks, weighing options, and inhibiting impulses. In real life, this could delay crossing a road or choosing friends wisely.

The mediation effect was clear: infant screen time influenced brain slopes, which in turn predicted longer CGT times (beta -0.27). This step-by-step disruption illustrates how early inputs cascade: screens overload visual pathways, weakening prefrontal integration, impairing executive functions like inhibition and planning.

• High screen group: Mean deliberation time significantly elevated.
• Link to daily impacts: Poorer choices in academics, play, or safety scenarios.
• Universal effect: Seen across socioeconomic levels, emphasizing broad relevance.

Teen Anxiety Symptoms: The Culmination of Early Exposures

Fast-forward to age 13: prolonged deliberation correlated with higher MASC scores (r=0.20), capturing separation anxiety, harm avoidance, and somatic complaints. The full serial pathway—screen time to brain changes to decision slowness to anxiety—was statistically robust (beta 0.033).

Anxiety here isn't fleeting worry but clinically relevant patterns: social withdrawal, sleep issues, or performance dips. Assoc Prof Yap Seng Chong from NUS notes its ripple effects on academics and relationships, critical in Singapore's high-pressure education system.

Importantly, effects persisted despite controls, suggesting causality via neurodevelopmental disruption rather than just parenting styles.

Photo by Samuel Quek on Unsplash

Singapore's Screen Time Landscape: Stats and Societal Pressures

Singapore parents face unique challenges: a 2025 Ministry of Digital Development survey found over 50% of two-to-six-year-olds exceed one hour daily on devices, spiking to 81% on weekends. Dual-working households, long commutes, and cultural emphasis on early enrichment fuel screen reliance.

Previous GUSTO findings (2023) linked 12-month screen time to attention issues at school age, building this narrative. With smartphones ubiquitous, today's infants face tablets earlier than the 2009 cohort's TV era, potentially amplifying risks.

Current Guidelines: MOH and WHO Recommendations

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) aligns with WHO: zero screen time under 18 months (video chats excepted), under one hour for 18-36 months (high-quality, co-viewed), and one hour max for two-to-six-year-olds. Health Promotion Board (HPB) resources stress active mediation—parents discussing content.

Enforcement includes preschool limits for educational use only. Yet compliance lags, per surveys, underscoring the need for awareness post this study.

Protective Factors: Power of Parent-Child Interactions

All hope isn't lost. Related GUSTO data shows frequent reading from age three buffers brain changes in emotional networks. Asst Prof Tan advises: "Reading together builds back-and-forth interactions, teaching emotions via facial cues—far beyond solo screen learning."

• Co-view screens educationally.
• Prioritize play: LEGO, outdoor sports, music.
• Balance with sleep (10-13 hours/night) and activity.
• Peers matter later for resilience.

These actionable steps leverage brain plasticity, especially early.

Implications for Educators and Higher Education Researchers

For Singapore's universities like NUS and NTU, this bolsters child development programs. Researchers training future psychologists can emphasize neurobehavioural pathways. Parents exploring higher ed career advice in developmental sciences will find such studies pivotal.

Educators note anxious teens struggle in classrooms; early interventions could enhance outcomes. Check Rate My Professor for experts in pediatric neuropsychology.

Broader Global Context and Future Directions

While Singapore-specific, findings echo global research: AAP echoes zero screens under 18 months. Future GUSTO waves will track into adulthood, probing interventions.

Stakeholders—from policymakers to tech firms—must innovate: parental controls, content design. For families, it's a call to unplug intentionally.

In Singapore's higher education landscape, such research positions universities as leaders. Aspiring academics, browse university jobs or higher ed jobs in neuroscience.

Photo by Singapore Stock Photos on Unsplash

Actionable Insights for Parents and Policymakers

Start today: audit screen use, swap for interactions. Schools can integrate media literacy. This study empowers proactive change, safeguarding futures.

For career shifters into education, academic CV tips await. Engage via comments below.