COMPARING VOCABULARY RICHNESS IN CHILDREN’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS AND CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

Abstract

Children’s growing screen exposure, especially video consumption raises concerns about language development, yet few studies have directly examined whether videos provide sufficient vocabulary input compared to books. This study aims to quantitatively examine the differences in vocabulary provided by children’s picture books and children’s YouTube videos in terms of vocabulary size, diversity, and complexity. A total of 56 popular children’s picture books and 56 highly viewed children’s YouTube videos targeted at children aged eight and under were analyzed using natural language processing techniques and statistical tests like t-test and Welch’s t-test. Statistical analyses revealed that children’s picture books contain significantly more words per minute (vocabulary size) and greater lexical diversity (vocabulary diversity) compared to YouTube videos, though no significant difference was found in word frequency values (vocabulary complexity). These findings suggest that children’s video content may provide less rich vocabulary input than books, potentially contributing to vocabulary development gaps. This study provides valuable insights for educators and caregivers in selecting content that supports adequate language input for children’s language acquisition.