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How Much Screen Time Is Right for a 2 to 5-Year-Old

What the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend, what studies found about screens and attention, and what that looks like on an ordinary day.

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Screen-free · 5 min read

Nobody needs another lecture about screens. But it helps to know what the organisations that have actually studied the subject say, so you can decide what fits your home.

What the WHO and pediatricians recommend

The World Health Organization (2019) recommends no screen time at all before age 2. From 2 to 4: no more than one hour a day, and less is better. When a child is sitting still, the WHO encourages reading or storytelling with an adult.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (2016) says something very similar: for children aged 2 to 5, no more than one hour a day of quality content, watched together with a parent who talks about what is on screen.

What the studies found

  • A study of 2,441 children in Canada found that those with more screen time at ages 2 and 3 scored lower on developmental tests at ages 3 and 5 (JAMA Pediatrics, 2019).
  • Among 5-year-olds with more than 2 hours of screen time a day, attention problems were several times more common than among those with under half an hour (PLOS ONE, 2019).
  • A small brain-imaging study of 3 to 5-year-olds found that children whose screen use went beyond pediatric guidelines had less developed connections in the brain areas that support language and reading (JAMA Pediatrics, 2020).

To be fair: these studies show a link, not proof that the screen alone is the cause. Children who spend a lot of time on screens often also get less time to play, talk and read with an adult. That is exactly why what you put in the screen's place matters.

What that looks like on an ordinary day

  • It does not have to be zero. One hour is a limit, not a target. A cartoon watched together and talked about afterwards is not the same as a tablet on autopilot.
  • Have the alternative ready. The hard moments are the predictable ones: while you cook, after preschool, on a rainy afternoon. A printed sheet with the crayons already on the table wins more often than anything improvised on the spot.
  • Stay close at the start. The first five minutes next to your child are worth half an hour of "go and play".

If you would like a few ready-to-print activities for those moments, there are free printables on the site.

Sources

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