The present study aims to assess the effects of tablet usage on the cognitive and social development processes of preschool children in Saudi Arabia, considering the increasing prevalence of digital tools in early learning. A sample of 60 children aged 3 to 6 years was divided into two groups: thirty children who had previously used a tablet and thirty who had not. A correlational approach was employed to analyse how tablet usage influenced motor skills, gait, object perception, language, classification, and social interaction. The results highlighted the effectiveness of iPad tablets in enhancing cognitive abilities, particularly object recognition (M = 3.3, SD = 1 vs. M = 2.4, SD = 1; t = 4.06, p < 0.05) and language proficiency (M = 18.4, SD = 2 vs. M = 14.7, SD = 2). However, a negative impact was observed on communication skills (mean = 1.3 vs. 1.9; t = -2.9; p < .05). Other social skills showed comparable mean scores and did not exhibit significant differences. Furthermore, both classification skills (mean = 10.2, n = 121 vs. mean = 8.7, n = 106, t = 2.14) and counting abilities (mean = 9.9, n = 122 vs. mean = 7.3, n = 106, t = 4.01) were enhanced. The findings suggest that while tablets can be beneficial for learning, they may have a detrimental effect on social interaction. The study recommends the development of engaging academic content for three-year-olds and the implementation of parental education programmes to promote the positive use of technology and mitigate potential negative impacts.