{"id":14455,"date":"2021-12-06T10:00:24","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T16:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=14455"},"modified":"2026-04-16T10:44:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:44:24","slug":"kids-screen-time-how-much-is-too-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/kids-screen-time-how-much-is-too-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids\u2019 screen time: How much is too much?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s never been easier to be entertained, informed and connected.<\/p>\n<p>Our favorite shows, music, social media and the latest news are now available in the palm of our hand 24\/7. While we enjoy this convenience, kids are enjoying it as well. Too much, in fact.<\/p>\n<p>With children getting smartphones at younger and younger ages while also having access to TVs, tablets, video games and other technology in the home, they\u2019re getting a lot more daily screen time than previous generations.<\/p>\n<p>Just how much time?<\/p>\n<p>The numbers might shock you. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the average daily hours by age group:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>8-10 years old:<\/strong> Six hours<\/li>\n<li><strong>11-14 years old:<\/strong> Nine hours<\/li>\n<li><strong>15-18 years old:<\/strong> Seven and 1\/2 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>And these figures don\u2019t even include the time kids spend on screens for their<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/5-tips-for-at-home-learning\/\"> school work.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>The health effects<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s important for parents to be aware of the impact that too much screen time can have on their children\u2019s health, as well as their ability to develop healthy relationships with friends and family.<\/p>\n<div class=\"alignright cta\">\n<p>Need screen time guidance for your child?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/providers.osfhealthcare.org\/\"> Talk to a pediatrician<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhile TVs have been a fixture in American homes for many years, the issue of screen time is a relatively new area of concern since smartphones haven\u2019t been around very long,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/providers.osfhealthcare.org\/provider\/Samina+F.+Yousuf\/1462767?unified=Yousuf&amp;sort=networks%2C%20relevance&amp;from=search-list\">Samina Yousuf, MD<\/a>, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician.<\/p>\n<p>Over the last decade, it\u2019s become a standard topic that pediatricians discuss with children and their parents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudies are showing links between excessive screen time and various physical and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/listen-your-childs-mental-health-depends-on-you\/\">mental health<\/a> issues in children, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/five-simple-ways-to-fight-childhood-obesity\/\">obesity<\/a>, depression, behavioral issues and anxiety,\u201d Dr. Yousuf said. \u201cIt also hinders them from getting the recommended amount of sleep each night, which harms them physically and also impacts their performance in the classroom. And then when they come home from school, it cuts into the time they should be devoting to homework.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also impacts their development of social skills.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cImpatience in real world interactions is one of the biggest results of excessive screen time,\u201d Dr. Yousuf said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be patient with a screen. It\u2019s instant gratification. But you do need patience when you\u2019re talking to someone in person. So, it\u2019s important that children learn to wait, listen and respond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis will not only help them when communicating with other kids, but also when playing together since taking turns with toys is so important. All of this lays the foundation for developing healthy relationships and friendships as they grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Recommended time limits<\/h2>\n<p>But with these electronic devices so ingrained into our culture, how should parents set boundaries for their children? Dr. Yousuf said pediatricians generally recommend the following guidelines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Under 2 years old:<\/strong> Zero screen time, except for video chatting with family or friends<\/li>\n<li><strong>2-5 years old:<\/strong> No more than one hour per day co-viewing with a parent or sibling<\/li>\n<li><strong>5-17 years old:<\/strong> Generally no more than two hours per day, except for homework<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_1350\" style=\"width: 250px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Screen-Time-for-Kids_Infographic_FIN.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1350\" class=\"wp-image-1350\" src=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Screen-Time-for-Kids_Infographic_FIN.png\" alt=\"Screen Time: Recommended limits for kids\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1350\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talk to your child. <br \/><a class=\"callout-button callout-button-small\" href=\"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Screen-Time-for-Kids_Infographic_FIN.png\">Download<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>To support parents\u2019 efforts, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends parents develop a family media use plan, which can be easily constructed on the AAP\u2019s website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthychildren.org\/English\/family-life\/Media\/Pages\/How-to-Make-a-Family-Media-Use-Plan.aspx\">healthychildren.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is really a positive parenting tool that can help parents guide their children on what type of screen time is appropriate and when and where it can be enjoyed,\u201d Dr. Yousuf said.<\/p>\n<p>Other proactive steps for parents to take include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Screen-free bedrooms:<\/strong> There should be no screens in the bedroom, and children generally shouldn\u2019t view a screen for two hours before bedtime. The reason is a screen\u2019s blue light can prevent the brain from knowing when it\u2019s time to get ready for sleep. Instead of watching TV before bed, kids should engage in other activities, such as reading.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fill the void:<\/strong> If you need to cut back on your child\u2019s screen time, don\u2019t leave them to figure out what to do with that free time. Replace it with something positive, such as outdoor sports or other activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Focus on face-to-face interactions<\/h2>\n<p>But aside from setting screen time limits, Dr. Yousuf said parents need to focus on face-to-face interactions with their children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYounger children don\u2019t relate to what they see on a screen the same as real life. Subliminal messages that we send during in-person conversations don\u2019t come across the same on a screen,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re playing with a young child, you\u2019re teaching them how to interact with their environment. Studies show that the more interactive you can be with them, the better off they\u2019ll be because they\u2019re using more of their senses, such as listening, touching and smelling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But whether a child is younger or older, human interaction provides benefits that can\u2019t be replaced by screens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about developing relationships,\u201d Dr. Yousuf said. \u201cYou need to be able to maintain healthy relationships later in life. If you\u2019re not experiencing that and seeing what relationships should be from a young age, you\u2019re not going to replicate them later on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OSF pediatrician, Dr. Yousuf, talks about why it\u2019s important for parents to be aware of the impact that too much screen time can have on their children\u2019s health, as well as their ability to develop healthy relationships with friends and family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":14497,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"no","footnotes":""},"categories":[129,116],"tags":[745,28,142,371],"coauthors":[1034],"class_list":["post-14455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous","category-pediatrics","tag-child-development","tag-obesity","tag-childrens-hospital-of-illinois","tag-pediatrics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kids\u2019 screen time: How much is too much?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Children today are getting too much screen time, which impacts their physical and mental health, and ability to build healthy relationships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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