Screen time is the time your child spends looking at a smart phone, TV, or computer. Screen time can have a big impact on your child’s health. It can affect your child’s speech, reading skills, memory, and sleep. Experts suggest:

• Children under 18 months – Try to skip all digital media. Video chatting is ok.
• Children age 18 months to 2 years – If you want to bring in digital media, choose high-quality programming. Don’t let your child watch screens alone. Watch it together.
• Children age 2 to 5 years – Allow only 1 hour of high-quality programming per day. Watch it together.
• Children age 6 to 18 years – Decide on a set amount of hours per day for all types of media.

For children of all ages: Support screen free family time, especially during meals. Keeping parent-child playtime interactive and screen free can help make stronger family bonds. For better sleep, screen time should end one hour before bedtime. Keeping computers, TVs, and smartphones out of your child’s bedroom can help your child sleep better too. Create a family media plan and share it with your child’s other caregivers. To help your family develop a digital media plan, visit HealthyChildren.org/MediaUseplan.