Young Children and Digital Picture Frames

Question: Is a digital picture frame with rotating images the same as viewing a phone, television, and computer?  

Answer: Many parents may wonder if viewing a digital picture frame is similar to using a phone, tablet, or television, and the short answer is that it is different! A digital picture frame is a screen that passively shows photos, while phones, computers, and televisions are more interactive and display fast-paced media content. While these types of digital frames have not been studied like other screens, we can use what we know about how infants and toddlers learn and process information to help understand the benefits and risks of different types of media exposure.  

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ most recent policy statement on children and digital media, infants who are 18 months old or younger struggle to transfer what they see on a screen to their real world. There’s actually a name for this- the transfer deficit. For example, a toddler might watch a character on a screen demonstrate how to do something but then struggle to do the same task with real objects. This happens because moving from 2D media (TV, touchscreens, picture books) to the 3D real world creates a mismatch, and that mismatch makes it harder for young children to apply what they learned. This transfer deficit becomes less pronounced as children get older and into the toddler years.  

One study from 2016 found that 7-10-month-old infants interacted with 3D objects more than they did 2D objects like photographs. It turns out that babies treat a photo on a screen kind of like a printed photo. They’ll grab at it, touch it, and look at it the same way. At this age, infants are already taking in information from photos and drawings and using that to build mental “categories” for objects and faces, but they do not yet understand that a touch screen is a special kind of picture they can swipe or tap to make something happen. 

The good news? You can help your baby bridge that gap! A few easy ways to do it: 

• Repeat and narrate. Saying what you see out loud, again and again, helps your baby connect the photo to the real thing.  
• Use photos to jog their memory. Looking at pictures together is a great way to help your baby recognize family and friends they don’t see every day.  
• Turn photos into stories. Use them to share memories and spark little conversations about special moments.  

Even though moving screens like televisions, phones, computers, and digital picture frames can be very enticing for your infant to look at, it’s important to note that too much time spent looking at these screens can have negative consequences. For example, we wouldn’t recommend putting a digital screen in a crib or in front of your child in a bouncy seat to keep them occupied. Instead, treat it like a photo album where you look through the photos together. If your baby starts to reach out and want to swipe the photos, teach them to pause and look at the photos – and talk about what you see – before advancing to the next one.  

For more information on early childhood media use, check out our past portal question on Screen Time for Infants and our Early Childhood Development and Screen Time Toolkit.  

References 

• Barr, R.. (2013). Memory Constraints on Infant Learning From Picture Books, Television, and Touchscreens. Child Development Perspectives, 7(4), 205–210.  
• Munzer, T., Parga-Belinkie, J., Milkovich, L. M., Tomopoulos, S., Ajumobi, T., Cross, C., Gerwin, R., Madigan, S., Psych, R., Radesky, J., Evans, Y., Cahan, E., Milkovich, E., Bracho-Sanchez, E., Parga-Belinkie, J., Munzer, T., Espinoza, J., Husain, A., Patel, A., & Shapiro, I.. (2026). Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement. Pediatrics.   
• Ziemer, C. J., & Snyder, M.. (2016). A Picture You Can Handle: Infants Treat Touch-Screen Images More Like Photographs than Objects. Frontiers in Psychology, 7.  

Age: 0-4 years old 

Topics: Screen Time 

Role: Parent/Caregiver