Establishing Healthy Screen Time Habits
Impact of Technology and Screen Time Recommendations
Limiting children’s screen time is essential to facilitate healthy lifelong habits and encourage active play. Screens can catch and hold a baby's attention and a toddler may imitate screen behaviors, but they cannot learn efficiently from screen content. Young children learn best through face-to-face interaction with parents and caregivers, early learning is easiest, and most efficient when experienced live, in real time with real people. The increasing use of screens in young children’s lives is linked to decreased levels of physical activity, increased sedentary behavior, and poor sleep patterns.
Screen time recommendations:
For children under 2 years old, screen time is not recommended. The exception is family video chatting to maintain long distance relationships.
For children 2 to 5 years old, limit routine or sedentary screen time to about an hour or less per day.
Keep in mind screen use at school, childcare facilities, and at home.
Why should I limit screen time?
Children need to engage in active play and spend time with family and peers to develop language, self-regulation, and creative thinking. When a child is engaged in screen time, it takes away the opportunity to interact with others, play outdoors, and enjoy time with family. More than the recommended amount of daily screen time increases your child’s risk of becoming overweight, sleep-deprived, less school-ready, inattentive, aggressive, and less able to self-soothe.
Ways to limit screen time at home?
As a family, determine basic screen time rules for everyone to follow. Consider developing a guide covering when, how, and where screens can and can’t be used.
Be a good role model with your own screen use on all devices.
Turn off devices for mealtimes, when reading with your child, or when doing things together as a family.
Turn off screens when no one is using them, especially background TV.
Avoid using screens for at least 1 hour before bedtime and keep all screens out of your child’s bedroom. They interfere with sleep due to stimulating and melatonin suppressing effects.
Choose healthy activities, like reading, outdoor play, and crafts, instead of screen time.
Maintain daily screen-free times, especially for family meals and book-sharing.
Prioritize shared family media use (watching TV or movies together, playing video games together with family and friends) over solitary use by children.
Encourage and participate in activities unrelated to screens, such as shared reading, outdoor play, easy board games, and crafts.