Experts are sounding the alarm. Popular fairy tales are harmful to children's mental health.

• The "Toddler on the Net 3.0" study showed that Polish children start using screens much earlier than the WHO recommends, and parents often treat smartphones as a quick way to calm their child down
• Experts emphasize that the problem is not a lack of knowledge, but rather the stress and overload of parents, which encourages reaching for technology instead of talking or playing together.
• Analyses have also shown that most applications and popular cartoons have low educational value, and some may even perpetuate aggressive patterns and negative emotions.
• Scientists warn that frequently giving a phone to a child "to calm down" triggers a risk mechanism that may lead to problematic media use in school age and adolescence

The latest study , "Toddler on the Net 3.0," conducted by a team led by Dr. Magdalena Rowicka from the Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw, provides many answers to questions that parents of preschool children may have, such as whether and for how long young children can use screens, such as tablets.

This is a continuation of two previous editions, which showed that one-third of children in Poland use screen devices before the age of two. Children often use screens alone, passively, without a parent present, and also right before bed, which is particularly detrimental to their development.

"We can clearly see that children's contact with screens in Poland begins much earlier than experts recommend," Dr. Rowicka emphasized in an interview with PAP. "Even children under two years of age spend time with smartphones or tablets. Parents often treat this as completely natural, but the consequences for emotional and cognitive development can be serious," she added.

The World Health Organization and international pediatric societies recommend that children under the age of two have no contact with screen devices at all. Preschool-age children should use them for a maximum of one hour per day, preferably together with a parent, in the context of active conversation and interpretation of the content.

However, the results of the "Toddler on the Net 1.0" and "Toddler on the Net 2.0" studies have shown that in practice, these rules are frequently broken. Younger children use screens for much longer periods, often alone and in situations that particularly disrupt the daily rhythm, such as just before bed. The latest edition of the project seeks to answer the question of why this is happening, given that parents declare they know the recommendations.

"Parents know what the recommendations say. The problem isn't a lack of knowledge, but a lack of strength to implement it into everyday life," Dr. Rowicka noted. "When a child is bored, screaming, arguing with siblings, or when a parent is exhausted after work, a smartphone becomes a quick and easy solution," she pointed out.

One of the main findings of "Toddler Online 3.0" is the enormous importance of parenting stress and the resulting frustration in parents' decisions about allowing their children to access screens . Researchers note that the higher the parent's level of mental stress, the more often a child receives a phone call "to calm down" or "to distract themselves."

"A parent who is overwhelmed often lacks the resources to engage in dialogue or suggest alternative activities. Turning on a cartoon seems like the easiest solution. This is understandable, but it's not safe," explained Dr. Rowicka. "This is how a vicious cycle begins. The child learns to regulate emotions through the screen, and the parent reinforces the belief that this is an effective method," she added.

The study also examined parents' beliefs about the educational potential of mobile apps. Many believe that apps marketed as educational develop children faster and more effectively than traditional forms of play.

"This is one of the biggest myths. Analyses show that the vast majority of popular apps have little educational value. Children click on flashing images, collect points and rewards, but they don't learn anything that would support their memory, concentration, or creativity," Dr. Rowicka pointed out. "In fact, we see that an excess of such stimuli impairs cognitive functions and can lead to learning difficulties," she said.

As with apps, the quality of the content viewed is crucial. The research team points out that many popular cartoons, such as "Masha and the Bear" and "Lemmings," can model negative emotions and behaviors, perpetuating aggressive patterns and disrespect for adults. At the same time, there are positive examples, such as the Australian series "Bluey," which promotes cooperation, empathy, and emotional management.

"Content matters. It's not just about how much time a child spends in front of a screen, but also what they watch and how they watch it. A story that shows constructive ways of dealing with emotions can support development. But a story that promotes chaos and aggression does the exact opposite," Dr. Rowicka noted.

The research team observed that even seemingly innocent situations in which a child is given a phone to calm down trigger a chain of risk mechanisms. The child learns that a screen is the only way to cope with frustration, and the parent becomes convinced that technology solves the problem faster than conversation or playing together.

"If this pattern is repeated repeatedly, the risk of problematic media use in the future increases. This may be the first step towards technology addiction in school and adolescence," warned Dr. Rowicka.

She emphasized, however, that it's not that technology is bad. "A smartphone or tablet is just a tool that can be used wisely or riskily. The problem begins when a screen replaces conversation, closeness, and shared emotional experiences," the researcher concluded. "Our goal isn't to scare people, but to show parents that they have a real influence on how their children will use media in the future," she added.

The "Toddler on the Net" research project is a series of studies initiated by Dr. Magdalena Rowicka. The project was co-financed by the Gambling Problem Solving Fund and commissioned by the National Center for Addiction Prevention.

The aim of the research is to expand knowledge about the impact of young children's use of digital devices on their psychophysical development and to analyze the role of parents in shaping these habits.

The study was conducted on a representative sample of parents of children aged 3 to 6, i.e., the preschool group. A total of over 1,600 parents were surveyed, 1,000 of whom were caregivers of children using screen devices. The remainder were parents of children who have no contact with this type of technology. This allowed for comparison between the two groups and verification of the reliability of the results.

The children studied were evenly distributed in terms of both age and gender, ensuring a highly representative sample. The "Toddler in the Web 3.0" project is the third edition of research conducted by Dr. Rowicka and her team.

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