According to new research, the majority of children under the age of 5 are exposed to more screen time than pediatricians recommend.
Researchers at the University of Calgary analyzed 63 studies looking at more than 89,000 children around the world. They discovered that more than 75% of kids under 2 years old, and 64% of kids ages 2 to 5, exceeded the recommended guidelines, “highlighting the need for additional public health initiatives aimed at promoting healthy device use.”
“Although many parents express concern about screen time, few children appear to be meeting the screen time guidelines,” researchers wrote.
Children under the age of 2 tend to exceed recommended screen times by watching TV and movies, while children 2-5 tend to watch TV and movies as well as play video games, according to the study.
“Digital media are now a regular part of young children’s lives, and supporting families to best fit evidence-based recommendations into their daily routines needs to be a priority,” researchers said.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), babies and toddlers under the age of 2 should avoid screen time except for video chatting, and children 2-5 should watch no more than one hour of high-quality programming per day.
While regulated screen time has potential benefits, such as learning opportunities, AAP also recommends that parents co-view or co-play with their children and engage in other healthy body and mind activities with them, such as reading, teaching, talking and playing together.
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