The Lowdown on Children's Screen Time: Do Our Kids Really Need To Switch Off?

How much screen time for babies is okay?

This is a common question we get asked by parents as paediatric therapists.

In an age where screens are all around us, it is hard to get away from them, and there are so many ‘educational’ tv shows and iPad games out there....so are they helpful or harmful??

I have often had parents tell me that their child’s attention to play activities is very short but they will easily sit down and watch TV for an hour. Yes, it is true, young children seem to be ‘memorised’ by a screen and it does allow for some much needed rest time for parents too!

We get it, we are parents too! We have used TV as a tool to get our children to stay still and be occupied so we can quickly get some things done around the house. We are not here to make judgements.

What we can do is:

• share with you the guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on recommended screen time guidelines for young children. 
• Discuss the cognitive affects screen time can have on your child
• Share how to add interaction and language to screen time, so that it isn’t such a one way conversation!
• Talk about alternatives to screen time!

WHO Recommendations For Screen Time

In 2019, WHO released its recommendations for play, screen time and sleep for 0-5 year-olds. These guidelines are relevant for all children under 5 years of age, irrespective of gender, cultural background or socio-economic status of families.

The recommendations for screen time are:

• 0-2 years: screen time is not recommended at all (other than video chatting to family/friends).
• 2-4 years: screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better.

How do I limit my child's screen time?

1 hour or less seems like a strict recommendation, and let’s face it, not something that most people will follow.

But here is why it is good to consider limiting your child’s screen time for as long as possible. 

Your baby may look at the bright colours and motion on a screen, but their brains are not capable of making sense or meaning out of the pictures and it can actually be quite overwhelming and overstimulating for them. 

What babies and young children need the most is to learn about interacting with those around them, and they will learn so much more from people than they will from a TV. They need human faces and voices to learn language and will not be able to as easily process language that they hear from a TV.

I’m still going to add TV time to my child’s day – how can I make the most out of this time?

We want to be realistic here and know that many young children will watch TV, and that parents need down time too, especially if there is more than one child in the mix!

Our recommendations are:

• be aware of the WHO guidelines for screen time and try to limit TV time for your baby for as long as possible (if they don’t know what it is, they won’t know what they’re missing out on!)
• Turn the TV off when your baby is awake – it can be a huge distraction and your baby will be able to focus so much more on your face, voice and the language you are modelling if they aren’t distracted by the noise and bright images from a TV.
• If your child is going to watch TV, sit down with them for at least some of the show so you can interact with them and talk about what you can see on the TV. This helps add more interaction to an otherwise passive activity.
• If your child is using screen time during the day try and balance this with physical activity.  It's helpful to also be aware of the WHO guidelines (see below) on physical activity and be extra sure to meet these on days that include more sedentary time.

WHO guidelines on physical activity:

• For under 1 year olds the guidelines are to be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, particularly through interactive floor-based play; more is better. For those not yet mobile, this includes at least 30 minutes tummy time spread throughout the day while awake. 
• 1-2 year olds should spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, including moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better.

I desperately need to keep my child busy so I can get some things done around the house. What are the alternatives to screen time?

Obviously chatting face to face with your baby, playing, reading and singing together are going to be the most beneficial for your baby’s development, but doing this ALL day can be exhausting for your baby (and you!). If your baby or toddler is whinging in the car, you’re going stir crazy stuck at home and you’re desperate to change things up, or you are putting the baby to sleep and are trying to keep the toddler occupied, you can try:

• Music
• book tapes
• face time a grandparent or friend
• Set up an activity they don’t normally get to do, that can keep them occupied for a while, independently! Sensory tables are great for this and there’s loads of ideas all over instagram. 

That’s it from us – please let us know if you have any questions or comments to share on this topic. 

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