Screen Time Recommendations
Updated: Mar 28, 2019
"For children 2 and up, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents limit screen time to 1-2 hours a day." (Psychology Today, 2016)
“Passive use of technology and any type of screen media is an inappropriate replacement for active play, engagement with other children and interacting with adults.” (Position statement of Fred Rogers’ Center for Early Learning & The National Association for the Education of Young Children)
“NIH researchers have found that kids who are exposed for more than two hours to screens scored lower scores on thinking and language tests.” National Institute of Health, December 2018
"Rather than having to take the time to process a mother’s voice into words, visualize complete pictures and exert a mental effort to follow a story line, kids who follow stories on their smartphones get lazy. The device does the thinking for them, and as a result, their own cognitive muscles remain weak." (Psychology Today, 2016)
"Listening to stories, as opposed to watching them on TV or on a computer, helps children develop listening skills." (National Center for Health Research)
Good evidence suggests that screen viewing before age 18 months has lasting negative effects on children's language development, reading skills, and short term memory. It also contributes to problems with sleep and attention.
