Screens figure prominently in modern life. According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, children between the ages of eight and 18 now spend 7.5 hours per day watching or using screens. Though screens are not inherently bad and are often used to great effect in academic settings, excessive screen usage has been linked to a host of negative side effects, particularly for school-aged children. The United States Department of Health & Human Services notes that early exposure to screens has been linked to poorer language outcomes, while school-aged kids may be at greater risk of physical health challenges and poor educational outcomes. Screen time among school-aged children also has been associated with sleep problems and poor dietary habits, while studies have linked higher screen time among adolescents to mental health issues like anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and body image concerns.
The ubiquity of screens makes it unlikely parents can keep their kids away from them until they reach adulthood. But parents looking to protect their children from excessive screen usage can keep these age-based screen time recommendations from the AACAP in mind.
· Prior to 18 months of age: Limit screen use to supervised video chatting with an adult, such as a grandparent or relative.
· 18-to-24 months old: Screen time should be in the company of an adult and be limited to educational programming.
· Ages 2 to 5: Non-educational screen time should be limited to roughly one hour per weekday and three hours on weekend days.
· Ages 6 and older: Parents of children 6 and older are encouraged to foster healthy habits and limit activities involving screens. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that school-aged children use screen media for various activities, including school. Kids also use screens to develop social connections, the significance of which should not be overlooked. This is why the AAP notes it is useful for parents to consider the quality of interactions with digital media and not direct their focus exclusively on the amount of time kids 6 and older engage with screens.
In addition to these age-based recommendations, the AACAP advises parents to turn off all screens during family meals and outings and to resist any temptation to use screens to pacify children or keep youngsters occupied while parents are busy. Screens also should be turned off and removed from bedrooms 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.
Parents can work with their children’s pediatricians to determine helpful screen usage guidelines and visit aacap.org and aap.org for more information regarding kids and screen time. FP26B226
