Screen time is a controversial topic when it comes to toddlers (and children in general).
There’s a whole range of opinions out there – anything from avoiding letting your child even see a screen all the way to allowing a couple of hours a day for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s hard to know exactly what the actual best practices are, and even when you do know the official recommendations it’s hard to know how closely you should follow them.
Up until recently, the AAP recommended absolutely zero screen time for children under 2. I know very (very!) few people in real life who actually followed this recommendation. Back in September, they published a post with some updated information about screen time and toddlers – I recommend you read the post in full (it’s interesting!), but the bottom line is that they admitted that the recommendation was a bit antiquated considering how much technology permeates our society these days. Their new recommendations are fuzzy, but they encourage co-viewing at all times for toddlers and preschoolers, and looking for ways to make the experience educational and not just a way to zone out. Apparently, they will be releasing more formal, updated recommendations in the near future, but until then I have to admit I was kind of left wondering: what does this mean for us?
We’ve avoided screen time for Jackson for the most part so far. He watched zero television (other than seeing what we were watching as he played nearby) until he was well over 18 months old. We have downloaded one baby-geared app on our iPads, and he plays with it maybe once a month. We didn’t go crazy about avoiding technology time for him altogether, but we were diligent about limiting it as much as we could. Then, when he turned about 20 months old, we started to let him watch some television in bed with us on Saturday mornings when he woke up early (hello, extra time in bed!). And after that, he started begging to watch videos on my phone of my friends’ babies and toddlers, and asking to watch Mr. Garland play “football” on the Xbox. And just recently, we’ve put on the occasional show or movie in the living room when he’s playing and we need a minute to ourselves. His attention span is still equivalent to that of a goldfish, so I don’t think he’s ever watched more than about 20 minutes at a time of anything. But, I have to admit, there’s something special about snuggling up with him on the couch to share a few minutes of a movie with him. And I think there are some things he could learn from shows like Sesame Street. So, our rules about technology have loosened up significantly over time, and I imagine we’ll continue to loosen them a bit more as Jack gets older.
I think that it’s important to recognize and acknowledge that we live in a media-saturated world. Screens dominate our lives, and that probably isn’t going away anytime soon…it seems futile to fight it in our kids. What I think we can do, however, is start teaching responsible media usage from an early age. By allowing Jackson some exposure to screens and technology as a toddler, he’s able to start learning some of the rules and expectations for technology in our house. Things like, no screens at the dinner table. When mom (or dad) says it’s time to turn it off, you do it right away. Time giggling with the family is way more important than time with the iPad. Play time outside is way better than a movie inside. And screen time is something that can (and should) be shared as a family, not always something that totally isolates you.
I hope that as he gets older we continue to be able to manage his technology usage in a meaningful way and make sure that he turns into someone who knows how to be responsible with his screen time. For now, we’re doing what we can to teach some good practices, and enjoying the rare moments of snuggle time on the sofa!
What are your policies for screen time at home?
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
We pretty much give her zero TV time; we don’t even watch when she’s nearby b/c she likes to watch it and I think the screen is just way too big for her! The only exception is when I was home alone with her one time and I was so sick I could barely move, and I turned it on for her till my mom could come relieve me haha.
But I’ve always let DD watch a few educational videos on my phone/ipad since she was 9-10 months. We always co-watch and I repeat words to her, point out things, etc. She usually will try to mimick the sounds she hears, or clap her hands/wave to music, so I think as long as she isn’t being zombie-like while watching whatever, I don’t think we’ll be that strict. I just don’t like it when they’re staring at it, totally zoned our or becoming too obsessed with it.
cantaloupe / 6730 posts
Until she was two, we only let her watch screens in “emergencies”, like plane rides, 1 hr + car rides, waiting at the dr office, when she was sick and while I cut her fingernails. After two, I’ve let her have 1 show a day (if she asks for it).
pomelo / 5093 posts
I think the whole way that the argument gets framed is sort of irritatingly hysterical. Why is it so bad that a kid would want to ‘zone out’ here and there (asking in general, not meaning to single your views out)? As adults we love to do this, but for children we’re somehow supposed to be totally freaked out about it.
I’m mostly concerned with modeling a balance of active and passive recreation that makes me feel happy, healthy, and fulfilled, as well as promoting executive function and not having a child who gripes about being bored all the time. But it’s hard for me to understand how that can’t exist with also watching tv.
When I find myself craving tv at the end of the day, I know that I’ve exhausted myself both physically and mentally and am ready to zone out. I assume it is the same for my kid, and I make sure that she does both of those things daily.
pear / 1657 posts
DS is 17 months and so far screen time is limited to facetime with family and a very few occasions like really long car rides and medical procedures. We’ve found it works better this way because at this point trying to end screen time usually results in a complete meltdown.
kiwi / 538 posts
@sarac: I read an article on FB (can’t remember what website it was from) a while back that said essentially this and it really changed my perspective. I’m a big TV person and it’s what I do to relax- it would be unfair for me to have a double-standard like no screen time for my son. I used to feel bad that the first thing he did when we got home from school is get out the iPad. But then I think about his day and the constant stimulation and craziness of being in a room with 20 preschoolers and I have no issue with him taking in a few episodes of “Peppa Pig” to chill out
grape / 98 posts
Timely post. I struggle with this one. Sigh.