# Longitudinal associations of preschoolers' technology and digital medial (TDM) use and executive functioning: a mechanism linking TDM with young children's weight status

> **NIH NIH P01** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $231,402

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Technology and digital media (TDM) use has been associated with poorer developmental and health outcomes
in young children. Given the high rate of TDM use, which on average exceeds recommendations, among
preschool age children, it is important to examine TDM use effects on development and health outcomes
during this critical early stage of child development. Using a multidisciplinary approach (clinical psychology,
developmental psychology, electrical engineering, and pediatrics), one of the main goals of the proposed larger
P01 application (of which this project is a part of) is to use innovative, objective, and passive measures to
precisely quantify children’s TDM use. The first aim of this specific project will be to focus on examining
associations between preschoolers’ TDM use and executive functioning (EF) as well as testing EF as a
cognitive mechanism linking TDM use with child BMI. The second aim will be to test bidirectional associations
between executive functioning, child BMI, and TDM use. Finally, the third aim will test the novel moderating
influences of general parenting (warmth/sensitivity, intrusiveness), parent scaffolding in two contexts (non-TDM
and TDM), and TDM content, which are candidates for disrupting the cascade from children’s TDM use to their
EF and BMI. To our knowledge, this will be the first study to use a comprehensive and objective assessment
tool to measure TDM use, its association with EF, and the mediating role of EF on the TDM-BMI association in
preschool children using a longitudinal design over a 12-month timeframe. Also, to our knowledge, this is one
of the only studies to consider bidirectional associations – specifically that TDM use is not only related to
children’s outcome, but also that children’s EF and BMI may influence their subsequent TDM use. As part of
our focus on TDM use, educational content will be assessed advancing developmental research beyond a
common focus on the amount of TDM use. Using multiple direct observational measures of EF in a controlled
setting, this project will also inform the development of child cognition as well as obesity. Finally, adapted from
existing tasks and coding procedures, a novel lab-based parent/child TDM task will be employed to examine
parental scaffolding behaviors, known to improve child EF, and how these scaffolding behaviors may moderate
links between TDM use and children’s EF. Advancing our understanding of the role of TDM use on the areas of
cognition and health using innovative methods will assist in the development of effective strategies for
improving child outcomes and provide parents and health service providers actionable information informing
children’s TDM use guidelines.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10906903
- **Project number:** 5P01HD109876-03
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** ALEXIS Caroline WOOD
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $231,402
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-09 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10906903

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10906903, Longitudinal associations of preschoolers' technology and digital medial (TDM) use and executive functioning: a mechanism linking TDM with young children's weight status (5P01HD109876-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10906903. Licensed CC0.

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