Parental Technoference and Early Language Development: An Integrative Review and Theoretical Framework

This working paper explores the impact of parental technoference on early language development and parent-child interaction dynamics.

In recent years, research has primarily focused on screen time as a key factor influencing child development. However, emerging evidence suggests that the disruption of interactions caused by parental use of digital devices, referred to as technoference, may play a more critical role.

This paper provides an integrative review of existing literature on digital exposure, interaction quality and early cognitive and linguistic development. It highlights how technoference can reduce verbal exchanges, disrupt joint attention and weaken the interactional mechanisms essential for language acquisition.

In addition, a structured theoretical framework is proposed, combining insights from interactionist theories of language development, social learning theory, expectancy violation theory and models of biobehavioural synchrony.

The objective of this work is to shift the focus from screen exposure alone to the quality of human interaction in digital environments and to contribute to a more precise understanding of how attention fragmentation affects developmental outcomes in early childhood.

This publication is part of the VOCE Association research initiative on digital interactions, cognition and human development.