Screen Time and Young Children

Children under 5 are exposed to more screens than ever before — televisions, computers, gaming consoles, smartphones and tablets. When thinking about your child's screen time, include all these devices, and time spent viewing at home and elsewhere, like child care. These recommendations are aimed at typically developing children — if your child has special needs, ask your family doctor or paediatrician for tailored advice.

What's the right amount of screen time?

Young children learn best from face-to-face interactions with caring adults, so it's best to keep screen time to a minimum: for children under 2, screen time is not recommended; for children 2 to 5, limit routine screen time to less than 1 hour per day.

Why limit screen time?

Screen time is very often a lost opportunity to learn in real time — through interacting, playing outdoors, creating, or enjoying social downtime with family. Too much screen time also increases the risk of becoming overweight, sleep-deprived, less school-ready, and more inattentive, aggressive and less able to self-soothe.

How to set screen time limits at home

Setting limits when children are young is easier than cutting back later. As a family, agree on basic screen time rules everyone understands and shares — consider a family media plan for when, how and where screens can (and can't) be used.

• Be a good role model with your own screen use.
• Turn off devices for mealtimes, reading together, or doing things as a family.
• Turn off screens when no one is using them, especially background TV.
• Avoid screens for at least 1 hour before bedtime, and keep all screens out of your child's bedroom — they interfere with sleep.
• Choose healthy activities — reading, outdoor play, crafts — over screen time.

Is it OK to use screens to calm or distract my child?

It might help in the moment, but used repeatedly over time, it means your child won't learn to self-soothe without it. Talk to your child's doctor if you need new strategies for calming or handling daily transitions. If your child gets upset when a screen is taken away, use a calm voice, acknowledge the frustration, and redirect her interest to another activity or toy.

Choosing quality content

Whenever possible, make screen time something you do together — watch with your child and talk about what you're seeing.

• Choose educational, age-appropriate, interactive programs and apps with a clear learning goal that encourage participation.
• Try out apps before your child uses them.
• Make sure your child watches programs you're familiar with.
• Avoid commercial and adult or "entertainment" programming.
• Use a media rating system to guide your choices.

Quality, age-appropriate "learn-to-read" apps and e-books can help with language, as long as you and your child are reading and learning together — though even the best e-books don't replace the physical "book experience" of page-turning, scribbling, and (for board books) chewing. There is no evidence that introducing technology at an early age improves development — young children almost always choose talking, playing or being read to over screen time, given the choice.