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Children just learning to talk are better off with traditional toys than electronic toys, according to recent NAU research.

Children just learning to talk are better off with blocks, puzzles or books than electronic toys. That’s according to new research conducted at Northern Arizona University.

The study’s author, Anna Sosa, directs NAU’s Child Speech and Language Lab.  

Sosa recorded play sessions between parents and children in 26 families. She discovered parents talked and interacted less with their babies when playing with electronic toys, compared to traditional toys or books.

“The parents seemed, in the electronic toy condition, to let the toy do the talking for them,” Sosa said.

That isn’t good for language development, Sosa said: children under age 3 need social interaction to learn new words. Sosa began the study three years ago because she wanted to know what to say to parents who asked if they should buy electronic toys marketed as educational.

“And now I would confidently say no,” Sosa said. “The time you have available to spend one-on-one playing with your child is limited to begin with, and it will be better spent, based on these results, playing with books, playing with traditional toys and not having those electronic toys in the interaction.”

Sosa cautions the results might be different with a larger, more diverse group of participants. She’d also like to see the work repeated with the newer electronic toys now available.  

The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.