Screens are everywhere, and infants and toddlers are at risk. How can we help families navigate through the digital age in a developmentally supportive way for their child?

Join us for a research-based presentation exploring the impact of screen time on child development and how caregivers can foster nurturing, tech-free interactions. This event is perfect for professionals working with families of young children in any capacity—including therapists, educators, early interventionists, home visitors and pediatricians.

What You’ll Learn:

The parent-child interactions that promote healthy development
How screen time (for both parents and children) interferes with those interactions
Why face-to-face interaction outperforms screens in supporting babies’ learning
What makes video chatting different from other types of screen time
Research findings on screen time’s effect on brain, emotional, and social development
Practical screen time resources and recommendations from the GAINING initiative

Presenter:

Co-founder of GAINING: Karen F. Heffler, MD

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry

Drexel University College of Medicine

About GAINING:

Born in 2023 at the World Congress of the World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) in Dublin, Ireland, the Global Alliance for Inspiring Non-Tech Infant Nurturing and Growth (GAINING) is a global coalition of child development specialists, researchers, clinicians, educators, and advocates dedicated to advancing knowledge of what all babies need for optimal development and well-being.

Their mission: to raise global awareness of babies’ critical need for real-time human connection and physical play. GAINING shares up-to-date research highlighting the risks of regular, prolonged screen exposure in children under three, and FAIMH is proud to be joining forces to promote this critical information and help caregivers reduce our littles' exposure to screens.

Location: Zoom

Time: August 5th at 1:00-2:00 PM Eastern/ 12:00-1:00 PM Central

Registration: Free

Open to: All FAIMH Members and Non-Members

Endorsement: This session may meet IMH Competencies that support your preparation to earn the Florida Infant or Early Childhood Mental Health Endorsement.

Technology Requirements:

To ensure the best possible experience for all participants, the program relies on online video conferencing, which has minimum requirements to work properly. You will need a desktop or laptop computer with speakers, microphone, and webcam, and a high-speed internet connection. Laptops work best because they come with all the necessary equipment and can easily be moved from room to room in your home or office to find a quiet place.

Review the system requirements for the Zoom online meeting platform
Try out a test meeting
Test your audio and video in the meeting

View our Training Academy Policy on attendance, payment, cancellation and more.

Questions? Email Training@FAIMH.org

IMH Conversation: Screen Time + Babies - What You Need to Know

By Florida Association for Infant Mental Health

IMH Conversation: Screen Time + Babies - What You Need to Know