Screen Time Guidelines for Children

Introduction to Screen Time Risks

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children under 2 years and less than 1 hour daily of high-quality content for children aged 2-5 years, due to significant health risks including developmental delays, language impairment, obesity, sleep disturbances, and poor social-emotional development 1
Excessive screen time is linked to poorer cognitive outcomes, including reduced academic performance, as evidenced by research in the field of pediatrics 2

Reduced academic performance is associated with excessive screen time in children, highlighting the need for limited screen time and prioritization of interactive play and reading 2
The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines aim to mitigate these risks by recommending limited screen time for young children, with a focus on high-quality educational content 1

Prolonged screen exposure is associated with reduced quality of social interactions, which can have long-term effects on social-emotional development and relationships 2
Using screens as behavioral management tools can be detrimental to social-emotional development, particularly among low-income parents with toddlers who have social-emotional delays 2

Screen time contributes to increased risk of obesity and poor cardiometabolic health, as well as reduced physical activity levels, emphasizing the importance of balancing screen time with physical activity and outdoor play 3
Encouraging at least 180 minutes of varied physical activities throughout the day can help mitigate the negative effects of screen time on physical health 3

Children under 2 years should have no screen time, except for video chatting, and children aged 2-5 years should limit screen time to 1 hour or less per day of high-quality content, with all screen time co-viewed with parents when possible, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 1, 3, 4
Parents should model healthy screen use behaviors, prioritize interactive play, reading books together, and physical activity, and create screen-free zones in the home, particularly in children's bedrooms, to promote a balanced and healthy lifestyle 1, 5
For optimal cognitive development, children aged 2-3 years should engage in hands-on play experiences, with limited screen time (≤1 hour daily), at least 180 minutes of physical activity throughout the day, and activities that promote sensory exploration and concrete learning, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 3, 6, 7
The American College of Sports Medicine suggests at least 180 minutes of varied physical activities throughout the day, including running, swimming, tumbling, throwing, and catching, walking tolerable distances with family members, and unorganized free play outdoors with proper supervision 3, 7

Children aged 2-5 years should limit screen time to 1 hour or less per day, focusing on high-quality, educational content, and ensuring co-viewing with parents whenever possible, to promote healthy screen use habits and social-emotional development 8, 4
Children aged 5-18 years should limit recreational screen time to 2 hours or less per day, ensuring at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, muscle and bone-strengthening activities at least 3 days per week, and 9-12 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night 3, 5, 4

Parents should choose age-appropriate, educational content, use parental controls and content filters, preview content before allowing children to view it, and co-view and discuss content with children when possible 3, 5
The World Health Organization suggests using parental controls and content filters to manage screen time, and parents should monitor screen time impact, watching for negative effects on sleep, physical activity, eyesight, and mental health 4
Only 24.7% of children under 2 years and 35.6% of children aged 2-5 years currently meet the screen time guidelines, with children living in poverty having higher rates of screen time (58.9% exceeding recommended limits in 2021) 4
Excessive screen time is correlated with increased risk for obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors, highlighting the importance of implementing age-appropriate screen time limits to protect children's physical and mental health 3, 4, 5

Unstructured play with emphasis on fun, exploration, and experimentation, including "hands-on" play experiences that allow sensory learning, simple toys that encourage imagination, and play with household items that demonstrate cause and effect, is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics 6, 7
Simple games that teach turn-taking, joint activities with parents/caregivers that promote serve-and-return interactions, and guided play are essential for social interaction and language development 6
Reading books together daily, singing songs with actions, simple storytelling activities, and naming objects and describing actions during daily routines are recommended for language development by the American Academy of Pediatrics 6