How much screen time is “too much” for kids?

Watching endless episodes of “Rugrats” and “Looney Toons”, playing Sonic the Hedgehog or staying up late to beat that level of Crash Bandicoot are memories of my childhood. Along with taking care of my Tamagotchi pet and playing that Krabby Patty game on Nick.com. My parents rarely put a limit on my time on those devices. I still played with my toys and did well in school and I believe my screen time didn’t have a negative impact on me.

Now, it seems, more than ever doctors and experts are constantly telling us to put limits on our child’s screen time. Why is this and what are the affects of “too much” screen time? The report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) titled Children and Adolescents and Digital Media, gives more insight.

So what is the set limit? The AAP recommends no screen time for 18 months and younger, one hour for kids 2-5, and for age 6 and up parents can decide an appropriate amount.

I created a short survey for moms with children under the age of 8, asking about their child’s screen time. Out of eleven responses, 54.5% said they set limits all the time, 36.4% said sometimes and 9.1% said they do not. With the average time limit being 1.5 hours. I identify with the sometimes group, if I feel like my six-year-old deserves it, then I just let her play.

According to the report, “…the use of digital media, has grown, and research evidence suggests that these offer both benefits and risks to the health of children.”

Even in elementary school, the use of screens has increased. My daughter’s kindergarten teacher had a smart board, they watched educational YouTube videos and they have subscriptions to educational websites for use in the classroom and at home. When it comes to teaching your child or reinforcing their learning at school, screens and apps can be very useful.

One of the biggest concerns experts have with screen time is how the use of social media is having an effect on children and adolescents. In my survey 0% of children use social media. They are using tablets/phones for games, camera, YouTube Kids and educational apps. When my children get older I’m sure it will be a concern for me.

On the other hand, my husband and I are both on social media, our daughter knows what Facebook and Instagram are and I’ll share photos or videos with her as well. It’s easy to tell our kids to stay off, but then they see us checking our phones often and it could confuse them. Managing this blog requires me to frequently use my laptop or phone for creating content but I try my best to be mindful of my phone use when my children are present. I will admit it gets hard to do sometimes.

“Heavy parent use of mobile devices is associated with fewer verbal and nonverbal interactions between parents and children and may be associated with more parent-child conflict.” A good resolution to this is to have unplugged zones, for us it’s at the dinner table. Also monitor and interact with your child when they are on an app, watching a video or playing a game.

Okay, so devices aside what about television.

“…Television has been used as an electronic babysitter for decades…”

Children and Adolescents and Digital Media by AAP

I can say that I am guilty of this for sure. Just like with the tablet/phone, it’s easy to put on a movie for the kids and do things you need to get done. But also on chill Saturdays, Spongebob or Teen Titans Go! will be on in the morning and we’ll all watch it together for a couple of hours, not thinking that it’s too much because we’re bonding.

A positive side of certain shows and videos your child may watch is the “…exposure to character-focused media can break stereotypes and is important to help children understand people from whom they differ.” Especially programming on PBS Kids, like Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

A negative effect, according to an international study of almost 300,000 children and adolescents, watching between one and three hours of TV a day led to a 10% to 27% increase in risk of obesity. Parents have to make sure there is a healthy balance in screens, physical activities and snacks.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is to decide the amount of screen time that’s best for them. Be aware of the content that they are absorbing, have conversations with them about it and be a role model with your usage as well. Most of all be a Bomb mom and don’t mommy shame other’s for how much time they let their child be on the iPad.