Child health expert clarifies that screen time does not cause dyslexia but may worsen learning difficulties

A child health specialist emphasises that excessive phone use does not cause dyslexia, although digital devices may exacerbate existing learning challenges, highlighting the importance of comprehensive assessment and support for children with learning difficulties.

Excessive phone use does not cause dyslexia, but it can make a child’s learning difficulties worse, according to a child health specialist speaking in an Indonesian paediatric webinar. Farid Agung Rahmadi said screen exposure is not the root cause of specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, even though it may add to the challenges children already face.

Dyslexia is a specific learning disorder linked to reading. Children with the condition often struggle to distinguish letter sounds, spell words and put letters together correctly, which makes reading and writing harder. Rahmadi’s comments reflect a wider clinical view: digital devices may be a factor in how children cope day to day, but they are not considered the underlying cause of dyslexia itself.

Rahmadi also said doctors should look beyond the learning disorder alone and check for other conditions that often appear alongside it. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is one of the most common. Research reviewed by the Understood education site and studies in the medical literature show that learning disabilities and ADHD frequently overlap, with one study finding learning disabilities in 46% of children with ADHD and another reporting comorbid ADHD in roughly 10% to 60% of children with specific learning disabilities. Other commonly reported co-existing problems include conduct disorders, anxiety, depression and speech difficulties.

That broader picture matters because treatment and support tend to work best when they address the full set of needs, not just reading difficulties. Rahmadi said children with these conditions should receive intervention for the accompanying problems as well, while schools play a crucial role through inclusive education and classroom support. For parents, the message is that a child’s screen time may deserve attention, but persistent reading problems should prompt proper assessment for dyslexia and any related developmental or behavioural conditions.