Follow these guidelines for age-appropriate screen time.*
Birth to 18 months
- Only video-chatting with a parent or caregiver present to talk and teach.
18 to 24 months
For parents who want to introduce digital media:
- Choose high quality programming.
- View with your child instead of leaving them alone.
2-5 years
- No more than 1 hour per day.
- Co-view or co-play with your children.
- Choose interactive, non-violent, educational media programming.
*From the American Academy of Pediatrics, www.healthychildren.org
Limiting screen time can help your child
- Sleep better. Kids who use screens less often and outside of bedrooms sleep longer and fall asleep earlier at night. even babies sleep better with less screen time.
- Develop learning and social skills. Less screen time often means more interaction with parents and family, which helps children learn to speak, solve problems, and pay attention.
- Gain the right amount of weight. Less screen time can mean less snacking and less exposure to food advertising. Children will likely be more physically active too.
- Learn good behavior. Limiting media can limit your child’s exposure to violence. Violent content can lead to confusion, fear, or copying violent behaviors.
Tips for parents
- Don’t feel pressure to introduce screens early to your child.
- Interact with your children without a screen.
- Limit your own use of screens around your kids.
- Use radio or music for background noise instead of the TV.
- Keep screens out of bedrooms.
- Turn off screens at least 1 hour before bedtime.
- Use books or cuddles to soothe your child instead of a device.
- Schedule screen-free times such as playtime and meals.
- Plan for outings by bringing books or toys to entertain your child, instead of screens.