Children's Language of the "Now Generation": The Influence of Youtube on Toddlers' Word Choice (A Psycholinguistic Study)

This study aims to analyze the influence of digital media exposure, specifically YouTube, on language acquisition and word choice (diction) in toddlers aged 2-5 years. Using a psycholinguistic approach, this study highlights how audiovisual digital stimuli affect the Language Acquisition Device (LAD) mechanism and the process of language imitation. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method with data collection techniques including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and a diary study of 10 toddlers in urban areas who have high viewing intensity. The results reveal three main findings: (1) A lexical shift where children predominantly use English nouns (visual-audio mapping) for everyday objects compared to their mother tongue; (2) The emergence of prosody imitation or a "YouTuber accent" characterized by high and dramatic intonation inconsistent with the local context; and (3) Pragmatic errors where technical digital terms (such as "unboxing" or "subscribe") are used in real social interactions. The study concludes that while YouTube enriches passive vocabulary, the platform has the potential to hinder two-way communication skills and cause code confusion if there is no parental mediation (co-viewing).