Technology and digital devices might not replace traditional, paper bedtime books. A study shows that paper books are better than e-books. It said printed books, with real pages that you turn, make parents and children interact more than when using electronic books. Researchers studied how 37 pairs of parents and toddlers interacted with e-books and paper books. Parents asked fewer questions and made fewer comments with e-books.
Researchers gave parents three book formats. These were printed books, e-books, and e-books with animation and sound effects. The researchers found that parents and children spoke to each other less with the digital books. A researcher said parents and children talked about the device and the technology more than about the story. Children said things like, "don't push that button" or "don't change the volume". They asked few questions about the story.