Screen time for young children – how much is OK?
Watching TV, using handheld games, mobile phones and devices like iPads all count as “screen time”.
Children under two years old are best to avoid screens altogether, and 2-5 year olds are recommended to have less than one hour a day.
Too much screen time can affect how children grow and develop. It can also get in the way of children learning to play with others and learning new skills like walking, jumping, and catching a ball.
Our top 5 tips for limiting screen time at home:
- Start with yourself. Be a role model and limit your own screen time. This will help you to also set family limits and rules around screen time.
- Have a spot at home for phones and tablets to be stored out of sight.
- Enjoy screen-free mealtimes.
- Make children’s bedrooms screen-free zones.
- Set a timer to remind yourself and your child when screen time is up. Some devices may have a way that you can set time limits for certain apps or games.
What can you do instead of screen time?
Babies and young children learn and develop from talking, singing, reading or playing with you or others. Here are a few ideas for the home, and for when you’re out and about.
For the home:
- Swap handheld devices for books. Children love it when you read to them.
- Do a puzzle together or do some drawing, art or craft.
- Put on some music, or try a singing or dancing audio book or podcast instead of TV.
For out and about:
- Try not to use mobile phones and devices to keep them busy or quiet too often. Bring colouring in or picture books instead.
- Break up long car trips by stopping at plenty of playgrounds and parks along the way.
- When you’re in the car, or out and about, you can also play Eye Spy (using colours for younger children, or letters for older children).
- Have a picnic or a play at a park or explore your local nature reserve. You can even collect some ‘treasures’ along the way.
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