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Screen Time for Babies: What the Guidelines Recommend

Assigned clinical reviewerMichael Yuzefovich· MD, FACOGDraft · pending clinical reviewUpdated

What does the evidence say about screen time for babies?

  1. For children under 18 months of age, CDC guidance points to the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that babies not use any screen media other than video chatting, framing screen limits as part of everyday positive parenting for this age group. 1
  2. In early care and education settings, the standard is stricter still: CDC's High-Impact Obesity Risk reduction Standards call for not utilizing media viewing, including TV, video, and DVD, or computers at all with children younger than 2 years, regardless of content. 2
  3. Screen time for children younger than 2 years is not recommended because there are no proven benefits of media exposure for infants and toddlers and some known developmental risks, including that infants and toddlers have difficulty transferring new learning from a 2D screen to a 3D object in the real world. 3
  4. Heavier early screen exposure, more than 2 hours a day, has been linked to significant language delays, and the same position statement concludes that early learning is easier, more enriching, and more developmentally efficient when experienced live and interactively rather than through a screen. 3
  5. Screen exposure is not the only lever that matters: in a study of 9- to 18-month-olds where all families reduced screen use to under an hour a day, the group that also added structured caregiver language stimulation, like interactive reading and singing, showed significantly better language and social communication scores after six months than the group that only cut screen time. 4
  6. CDC frames the recommendation practically for parents of infants: babies learn through talking, playing, and interacting with others, which is the reasoning behind limiting screens rather than managing the recommendation as an arbitrary cutoff. 1

Frequently asked questions

Is video chatting with grandparents okay for a baby under 18 months?

Yes, this is the one specific exception named in guidance for this age group. Video chatting involves a real person responding in real time, which is different from passive video or a show playing in the background.

Why can't babies learn from educational videos the way older kids do?

Infants and toddlers have difficulty transferring what they see on a flat, two-dimensional screen to a real three-dimensional object, a gap researchers have documented directly. Live, face-to-face interaction does not have that translation problem, which is part of why it is considered more effective for this age group.

Does background TV count as screen time even if my baby isn't watching it directly?

Guidance for this age group generally regards any media viewing, including television playing in the background, the same as active screen use, since the recommendation for children under 2 in structured care settings is to not utilize media viewing at all, not only to limit direct engagement.

What counts as high-quality media once my toddler turns 18 to 24 months?

If media is introduced at this stage, guidance points toward well-produced educational programming watched together with a caregiver who talks about what is happening on screen, rather than solo viewing of any available content.

How much screen time actually causes language delays in young children?

One position statement links more than 2 hours a day of early screen exposure to significant language delays. That does not mean smaller amounts are automatically fine, since guidance for children under 2 recommends avoiding screen media altogether outside the video-chatting exception.

If I can't avoid all screens, does adding more talking and reading still help?

There is evidence for this. In one study of 9- to 18-month-olds, families who combined screen reduction with structured language activities like interactive reading and singing saw significantly better language and social outcomes after six months than families who only cut screen time without adding that engagement.

Is it the amount of screen time or the type of content that matters more for babies?

Both matter, but for babies under 18 months specifically, guidance does not distinguish by content quality the way it does for toddlers closer to 2. The recommendation is to avoid screen media generally at this age, with video chatting as the named exception, rather than to permit limited amounts of curated content.

What should I do instead of screen time with my baby?

Talking, playing, reading, and simple back-and-forth interaction are what guidance points to as the alternative, since these are the activities infants are described as learning through most effectively. You do not need special educational products to meet this recommendation.

Related in the library

References

  1. Positive Parenting Tips: Infants (0-1 years)

    CDC · https://www.cdc.gov/child-development/positive-parenting-tips/infants.html

  2. HIOPS for Screen Time Limits

    CDC · https://www.cdc.gov/early-care-education/php/obesity-prevention-standards/screen-time-limits.html

  3. Screen time and young children: Promoting health and development in a digital world

    Paediatrics & Child Health · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5823000/

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.