Screens are everywhere, even in the waiting areas of pediatric practices. This makes it harder for parents to control the amount of time children spend engaging with digital media. While there are legitimate educational applications that involve handing your child, or putting your child in front of, a screen, limits are important. Micah Resnick, MD, a board certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Queens, explains how, and why, parents should limit usage.
How much is too much screen time?
Parenting is not easy. Sometimes a screen is the most efficient solution for occupying your child while you attend to the needs of other family members, or even your own needs. Despite the ease and importance of using digital media, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following:
- No screen time before 18 months old except for video chatting
- Strictly limited screen time for toddlers 18 to 24 months old
- One hour a day of “co-viewing” for children two to five years old
- Consistent limits on screen time for children six years and older
Those are pretty serious restrictions, and with good reason. Too much screen time can result in lack of sleep, aggression, obesity, and loss of social skills. No one wants that, especially during your child’s crucial development stage.
So, what are parents to do?
An excellent starting point to help limit screen time is the creation of a family media plan. HealthyChildren.org, a parenting advice website from the AAP, provides helpful tools like a media plan template and a media plan calculator here. Using the media plan calculator, you are given an age-appropriate checklist advising how to help create screen-free zones, screen-free times, and device curfews, and how to balance online and offline time for your child. There are also important sections on how your child can be a good “digital citizen.” Speak with your child about cyberbullying, the dangers of sending or receiving explicit images via text, and the importance of following online guidelines.
Encourage tactile activities.
While digital media is ubiquitous, it is not essential. An early childhood filled with books and educational toys will pay off well into adolescence. Play with your children, read to them, and teach them about colors and numbers and how to play musical instruments. These tactile interactions will promote the most intellectual and emotional development.
Micah Resnick, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Queens and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His clinical interests include well-child care, adolescent health, preventive medicine, and patient and family education. By educating patients and their families, he empowers them to make healthy decisions and strengthens their compliance with clinical recommendations.
Be a Media Mentor
Digital media is great, in moderation and with age appropriate supervision. When you allow screen time, be a media mentor. Watch or play online with your child. Always ensure that the content is age appropriate. As children get older, monitor their digital footprint, including social media accounts. For helpful suggestions on engaging with your child—both with and without screens—check out parenttoolkit.com.
