Parenting & Family Life

Pediatricians have new screen time guidelines... what are yours?

a school gathering to watch screenagers
October 24, 2016
min read
Delaney Ruston, MD
a school gathering to watch screenagers

In Summary

TECH TALK TUESDAY #38
WHAT ARE YOUR RULES WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR KID'S SCREEN USE?

Child holding an ipad

This week the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations on screen time.  

They now recommend that children younger than 18 months “avoid digital media use (except video-chatting),” but kids 18 months and older can use digital media. They also say that children 2 to 5 years should limit their time to one hour a day and for youth 5 years and older they now don't really have a recommended cap on screen time.

This is a big change from their last set of recommendations back In 2013 that urged parents not to let kids under 2-years old engage with screens at all. Children 2 years and older (all the way up to age 18) were advised to limit exposure to two hours a day.

I am concerned about some of the age guidelines in these newly revised recommendations:

  • Reducing recommended age to 18 months is troubling. At a time when kids are developing formative habits and have very little ability to self-regulate, many kids will get conditioned to go to screens for comfort, entertainment and just plain novelty.  Also, there is substantial evidence that shows language is learned much better human-to-human than with a computer.
  • They’ve taken away any cap on screen exposure for kids older than five years old. Studies have found a strong correlation between increased screen time and decreased attention span and for pediatricians to not have clear recommendations for limiting screen time seems irresponsible.

I am happy that the guidelines specifically encourage families to regularly talk to their kids about the many issues around screen time. This is exactly the point of our Tech Talk Tuesday (TTT).

For today's TTT let’s talk together about what we think about these recommendations.

  • How many hours a day do you think is reasonable for screen time?
  • How many hours do you think you are on screens a day?
  • How many hours do you think the American Pediatric Association recommends for kids 5 and up?
  • Do you think screen time usage should be different for different ages?
  • Do you think that we as adults should set the number of hours a day you are on screens?
  • Do you think the hours spent on screens for school or homework, or for work, should be included in the total number of hours any of us should be on screens?
Photo by NI QIN/iStock / Getty Images

October 24, 2016


As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel

continues below
Share
Facebook logo.Rightward curved arrow symbol for sharing or forwarding.
host a screening

Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!

Podcast

Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast

Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!

Screenagers elementary edition

Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids

host a screening

Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!

host a screening

Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!

Podcast

Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast

Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!

Screenagers elementary edition

Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids

Podcast

Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast

Get our latest posts and practical advice in your inbox, weekly.

You have subscribed to our emails. Thank you!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

We respect your privacy.

More Like This

Parenting & Family Life

Pediatricians have new screen time guidelines... what are yours?

Delaney Ruston, MD
Lisa Tabb smiling to camera (Screenagers Producer)
Lisa Tabb
October 24, 2016

As we’re about to celebrate 10 years of Screenagers, we want to hear what’s been most helpful and what you’d like to see next.

Please click here to share your thoughts with us in our community survey. It only takes 5–10 minutes, and everyone who completes it will be entered to win one of five $50 Amazon vouchers.

TECH TALK TUESDAY #38
WHAT ARE YOUR RULES WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR KID'S SCREEN USE?

Child holding an ipad

This week the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations on screen time.  

They now recommend that children younger than 18 months “avoid digital media use (except video-chatting),” but kids 18 months and older can use digital media. They also say that children 2 to 5 years should limit their time to one hour a day and for youth 5 years and older they now don't really have a recommended cap on screen time.

This is a big change from their last set of recommendations back In 2013 that urged parents not to let kids under 2-years old engage with screens at all. Children 2 years and older (all the way up to age 18) were advised to limit exposure to two hours a day.

I am concerned about some of the age guidelines in these newly revised recommendations:

  • Reducing recommended age to 18 months is troubling. At a time when kids are developing formative habits and have very little ability to self-regulate, many kids will get conditioned to go to screens for comfort, entertainment and just plain novelty.  Also, there is substantial evidence that shows language is learned much better human-to-human than with a computer.
  • They’ve taken away any cap on screen exposure for kids older than five years old. Studies have found a strong correlation between increased screen time and decreased attention span and for pediatricians to not have clear recommendations for limiting screen time seems irresponsible.

I am happy that the guidelines specifically encourage families to regularly talk to their kids about the many issues around screen time. This is exactly the point of our Tech Talk Tuesday (TTT).

For today's TTT let’s talk together about what we think about these recommendations.

  • How many hours a day do you think is reasonable for screen time?
  • How many hours do you think you are on screens a day?
  • How many hours do you think the American Pediatric Association recommends for kids 5 and up?
  • Do you think screen time usage should be different for different ages?
  • Do you think that we as adults should set the number of hours a day you are on screens?
  • Do you think the hours spent on screens for school or homework, or for work, should be included in the total number of hours any of us should be on screens?
Photo by NI QIN/iStock / Getty Images

October 24, 2016


As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel

Join
443
others who have made the pledge!
Thank you for making the pledge!
Please try again
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Order Here
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a dark teal sweater, next to text: The Screenagers Podcast with Delaney Ruston, MD.

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More
The Screenagers Project title in bold white text on a dark blue background with teal underline and partially visible screenshots of a website behind.

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More
YouTube play button icon next to the text 'SCREENAGERS YOUTUBE' on a dark blue background with images of web pages around the edges.

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a dark teal sweater, next to text: The Screenagers Podcast with Delaney Ruston, MD.

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More
The Screenagers Project title in bold white text on a dark blue background with teal underline and partially visible screenshots of a website behind.

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More
YouTube play button icon next to the text 'SCREENAGERS YOUTUBE' on a dark blue background with images of web pages around the edges.

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

We respect your privacy.

Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Order Here
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a dark teal sweater, next to text: The Screenagers Podcast with Delaney Ruston, MD.

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More
The Screenagers Project title in bold white text on a dark blue background with teal underline and partially visible screenshots of a website behind.

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers movie series

Learn More
YouTube play button icon next to the text 'SCREENAGERS YOUTUBE' on a dark blue background with images of web pages around the edges.

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Six children standing outdoors using tablets and smartphones, with text overlay 'SCREEN AGERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE EDITION'.

Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition - Learn more about our latest movie.

Learn More
Child sleeping peacefully in bed under a gray blanket with text saying 'Screen-Free Sleep' and cartoon purple Z's.

Learn more about the Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!

Visit Website
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More
Smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a dark teal sweater, next to text: The Screenagers Podcast with Delaney Ruston, MD.

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More
The Screenagers Project title in bold white text on a dark blue background with teal underline and partially visible screenshots of a website behind.

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Screenagers Under The Influence - Learn more about this movie and watch the trailer.

Learn More
YouTube play button icon next to the text 'SCREENAGERS YOUTUBE' on a dark blue background with images of web pages around the edges.

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Six children standing outdoors using tablets and smartphones, with text overlay 'SCREEN AGERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE EDITION'.

Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition - Learn more about our latest movie.

Learn More
Child sleeping peacefully in bed under a gray blanket with text saying 'Screen-Free Sleep' and cartoon purple Z's.

Learn more about the Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!

Visit Website
Parenting & Family Life

Pediatricians have new screen time guidelines... what are yours?

Delaney Ruston, MD
October 24, 2016

TECH TALK TUESDAY #38
WHAT ARE YOUR RULES WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR KID'S SCREEN USE?

Child holding an ipad

This week the American Academy of Pediatrics released new recommendations on screen time.  

They now recommend that children younger than 18 months “avoid digital media use (except video-chatting),” but kids 18 months and older can use digital media. They also say that children 2 to 5 years should limit their time to one hour a day and for youth 5 years and older they now don't really have a recommended cap on screen time.

This is a big change from their last set of recommendations back In 2013 that urged parents not to let kids under 2-years old engage with screens at all. Children 2 years and older (all the way up to age 18) were advised to limit exposure to two hours a day.

I am concerned about some of the age guidelines in these newly revised recommendations:

  • Reducing recommended age to 18 months is troubling. At a time when kids are developing formative habits and have very little ability to self-regulate, many kids will get conditioned to go to screens for comfort, entertainment and just plain novelty.  Also, there is substantial evidence that shows language is learned much better human-to-human than with a computer.
  • They’ve taken away any cap on screen exposure for kids older than five years old. Studies have found a strong correlation between increased screen time and decreased attention span and for pediatricians to not have clear recommendations for limiting screen time seems irresponsible.

I am happy that the guidelines specifically encourage families to regularly talk to their kids about the many issues around screen time. This is exactly the point of our Tech Talk Tuesday (TTT).

For today's TTT let’s talk together about what we think about these recommendations.

  • How many hours a day do you think is reasonable for screen time?
  • How many hours do you think you are on screens a day?
  • How many hours do you think the American Pediatric Association recommends for kids 5 and up?
  • Do you think screen time usage should be different for different ages?
  • Do you think that we as adults should set the number of hours a day you are on screens?
  • Do you think the hours spent on screens for school or homework, or for work, should be included in the total number of hours any of us should be on screens?
Photo by NI QIN/iStock / Getty Images

October 24, 2016


As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel

More Like This

Parental Controls With Jean Twenge
December 30, 2025
Parenting & Family Life

Parental Controls With Jean Twenge

Psychologist Jean Twenge explains how parental controls can support healthier tech use by protecting sleep, limiting late night device access, and reducing kids’ exposure to content they are not developmentally ready to handle. She discusses why third party parental control tools are often more effective and easier to use than built in options, while acknowledging that no system is perfect. Clear boundaries, combined with technology based limits, can reduce ongoing conflict and make screen time rules easier to enforce.

READ MORE >
When Good Parenting Advice Doesn’t Work (and That’s Okay)
October 14, 2025
Parenting & Family Life

When Good Parenting Advice Doesn’t Work (and That’s Okay)

Parenting in this digital age is full of challenges. I imagine many of you are nodding in agreement. And when we look for advice online, it can feel like a sea of perfect experts with perfect advice: “Just follow these three easy steps and everything will fall into place.” In this week’s blog, I share a story about a moment with my daughter Tessa that did not go quite as planned but ended up teaching us both something important.

READ MORE >

parenting in the screen age

for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.  

ORDER HERE
Parenting in the Screen Age book cover