This question comes up often, and usually accompanied by guilt. The answer requires care, because the topic is loaded and oversimplified from both directions.
What actually matters
Language is learned in conversation - in the exchange where the child says something, the other person replies, and the child replies again. A screen, however good the content, does not reply and does not adapt to the child.
So the real question is not how much screen time a child has, but what the screen is replacing. When it replaces conversation, shared play and reading, what is lost is precisely the material language is built from.
What helps in practice
- Hold real conversations through the day - at meals, while dressing, on the way somewhere.
- When the child watches something, watch it together and talk about it; an accompanied screen is worth more than a solitary one.
- Keep parts of the day screen-free, especially mealtimes.
- Make reading together a daily habit, even without reading the book word for word.
What screens do not explain
This is the important part. Reducing screen time is a good change, but it is not a treatment. When a child has a language delay, assuming they do not speak simply because they 'watch too much phone' is a supposition that can cost valuable time.
If language does not move after screen time is reduced, or if other signs exist - weak understanding, no response to their name, poor non-verbal communication, loss of words - a speech and language assessment should not be postponed. The screen should not become the explanation that delays the real question.