HEALTH and education experts are warning of an emerging developmental crisis among young children, as excessive exposure to smartphones and fast-paced digital content from an early age is linked to delayed speech, reduced attention spans and impaired communication skills.
Paediatric consultant Dr Yong Junina Fadzil said an increasing number of children seen in clinical settings are struggling with basic social behaviours such as maintaining eye contact and engaging in two-way communication.
She warned that a growing number of toddlers are being treated as passive consumers of digital content, with some parents using smartphones as “virtual babysitters” for children as young as two years old.
According to her, this has contributed to what she described as a rising cohort of so-called “Popcorn Brain” children — those conditioned to rapid 15-second visual stimulation, resulting in reduced focus and difficulty sustaining attention.
“The situation in clinics today is very worrying as more children are losing the ability to maintain eye contact during communication,” Harian Metro quoted her saying.
She added that many children in this group also experience delayed speech development and may merely imitate scripts or tones from videos they frequently watch.
“More seriously, excessive immersion in screen-based worlds causes parents to panic and mistakenly assume their child has ‘pseudo autism’, based solely on unverified information on social media,” she said.
Dr Yong also criticised common parenting practices such as allowing children to watch videos during meals in restaurants to prevent fussiness, saying this deprives them of essential developmental experiences.
“A child fed while watching videos will simply open their mouth and swallow. Without gadgets, a baby naturally reaches for the spoon and interacts with food, which is important for fine motor skills,” she said.
She stressed that a child’s ability to scroll on a smartphone at the age of two should not be seen as an achievement, but rather a sign of excessive digital exposure, adding that toddlers should instead be encouraged to interact with real objects to stimulate sensory development.
Separately, Dr Anuar Ahmad of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies and Development (MINDA UKM) echoed concerns that attention span deterioration is beginning at home and is now affecting classroom learning.
He said excessive screen exposure from an early age conditions children’s brains to expect rapid visual stimulation, making it difficult for them to sustain focus during traditional teaching.
“The minds of this generation are unconsciously trained to consume fast visuals in very short bursts,” he said.
“As a result, when they are in the classroom, they become easily bored and can no longer sustain attention during verbal instruction from teachers.”
However, he stressed that educators should not respond by simplifying school syllabuses, warning that such an approach would not address the root cause of the problem.
The experts urged greater parental awareness and responsible digital habits at home to prevent long-term developmental consequences for young children. - June 28, 2026
