The leading pediatricians group has relaxed its guidelines about screen time for young children, now saying some programming can be beneficial starting at 18 months.
The American Academy of Pediatrics had previously warned parents to keep electronic media away from children before the age of 2 and allow no more than two hours per day of high-quality programming for older kids.
But in a series of papers published Friday in the journal Pediatrics, the group said the guidelines should be revamped to take into consideration the increasingly prominent role media plays in children’s lives. The organization stressed that parents should take into consideration their individual children and their own family when deciding how much screen time is appropriate, while offering some revised guidelines:
? Children younger than 18 months should be exposed to screens only for video-chatting.
? Children between 18 and 24 months should be allowed to watch only high-quality programming alongside a parent who can explain it.
? Children between ages 2 and 5 should use screens a maximum of one hour per day of high-quality programming. Parents should co-view to help children understand what they’re seeing.
? Children age 6 and older should have limits for the time spent with media and the type of media viewed. Parents should ensure media doesn’t interfere with adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.
The pediatricians also urged parents to designate media-free times for the family to be together and media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms. Parents should develop a family media plan that takes into account the “health, education and entertainment needs of the child as well as the whole family.”
“What’s most important is that parents be their child’s ‘media mentor,'” said pediatrician Jenny Radesky, who helped craft the new policy. “That means teaching them how to use it as a tool to create, connect and learn.”
