Screen time for babies and toddlers

All ages · Development · Reviewed 18 June 2026 · All articles

What the guidelines say

Three of the world's most trusted health authorities have reached the same broad conclusion: screens offer very little to very young children and can get in the way of the experiences that actually build a developing brain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends no screen time at all for children under 12 months. For children aged 1 to 2, the WHO says screens should be avoided or kept to very short, supervised sessions. For children aged 3 to 4, the limit is a maximum of one hour per day of high-quality content.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) takes a similar position. No screen time for children under 18 months, with one explicit exception: live video calls with family members. For children aged 18 to 24 months, a parent or caregiver should choose high-quality programmes and watch alongside the child. For children aged 2 to 5, the AAP recommends limiting use to one hour per day of high-quality content, again with adult co-viewing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoes these positions and adds that quality matters as much as quantity. The CDC highlights that the type of content, the context in which it is watched, and whether a caregiver is present all shape what a child actually gets out of screen time.

It is worth noting that these guidelines describe targets for healthy development, not strict rules that trigger harm the moment they are exceeded. A few extra minutes here and there is unlikely to cause lasting problems. The concern is with screens becoming the default activity across the day.

Why screens matter for a developing brain

In the first two years of life, a baby's brain is building connections at a faster rate than at any other point in human development. Every conversation, every shared glance, every game of peekaboo lays down pathways for language, memory, attention, and emotional regulation. These connections are built through what researchers call serve-and-return interaction: a caregiver notices what a child is interested in, responds with words or touch or expression, and the child responds back. This back-and-forth is the engine of early learning.

Screens, by their nature, do not serve and return. A video plays at the same pace regardless of whether the child is engaged or confused, laughing or crying. There is no pause, no adjustment, no reading of the child's cues. This is why researchers describe the learning gap between screens and real-life interaction as the video deficit effect. Babies under about 2.5 years consistently show less learning from video content than from the same content presented in person by a caregiver.

This does not mean screens are poison. It means that time spent in front of a screen is time not spent in the kind of rich, responsive interaction that the brain needs most in these early years. Every hour matters when the window is short.

Language development is one of the clearest areas of concern. Studies cited by the AAP show that for every hour of adult-directed television a child under 2 is exposed to, the number of words they hear and the number of vocalizations they produce both drop significantly. Words heard and words spoken are the raw material of language acquisition.

Passive screens, interactive screens, and video calls

Not all screen use is identical, and health bodies make useful distinctions between different types.

Passive viewing is the most common and the least beneficial for young children. This includes watching television programmes, YouTube videos, or any pre-recorded content where the child is simply a viewer. The child receives information but has no way to respond, ask a question, or shape what happens next. For babies under 18 months, the AAP and WHO both recommend avoiding this category entirely.

Interactive apps and programmes ask for input: a touch, a choice, a spoken word. They are more cognitively engaging than passive video. However, the AAP notes that even good interactive apps designed for toddlers are still significantly less effective than a real person doing the same activity. The app cannot see the child's face, notice their confusion, or slow down and repeat something in a different way. The interaction is real, but it is limited.

Video calls are treated as a clear exception by both the WHO and the AAP. A live video call with a grandparent, a relative, or a close friend is a genuine two-way social interaction. The person on screen responds to the baby, changes their tone, laughs at the right moments, and notices when attention drifts. This is meaningfully different from watching a video. Families who use video calls to stay connected across distances can do so with confidence, even with young babies.

Co-viewing with a caregiver closes much of the gap between passive and interactive content. When a parent watches alongside a toddler and narrates what is happening on screen, asks questions, and connects the content to real objects and experiences in the home, the child learns far more than from watching alone. The AAP specifically recommends this approach for children aged 18 months to 5 years when screen time does occur.

Screens, sleep, and daily routine

One of the most well-documented effects of screen time in young children is disruption to sleep. The AAP and CDC both highlight the link between screens before bedtime and difficulties falling asleep, shorter total sleep duration, and more night wakings.

There are two main reasons for this. First, the light emitted by screens suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals to the body that it is time to sleep. Even a short period of screen exposure in the hour before bed can delay the natural rise in melatonin that helps young children settle. Second, stimulating content keeps the brain in an alert, aroused state that is the opposite of what is needed for sleep onset.

For babies and toddlers, sleep is not a passive recovery period. Deep sleep is when the brain consolidates memories, processes the learning of the day, and supports physical growth. Protecting sleep quality is one of the most significant things a caregiver can do for early development.

A simple and effective rule is to keep screens out of the bedroom entirely and to turn them off at least one hour before the start of the bedtime routine. For very young babies, this matters from the early weeks, before any deliberate screen exposure has begun, simply because background television in a shared living space can affect the light environment of the whole home.

Daily routine is also worth considering. Screens can creep into transitions: the moment after waking, the stretch before a meal is ready, the minutes in a pram or car seat. These gaps are often when babies and toddlers are most receptive to simple interaction, a song, a description of what is outside the window, a familiar game. Filling those gaps with screens means losing some of the most natural and low-effort learning moments in the day.

Quality content, and what to do instead

When screen time does happen for children aged 2 and over, quality makes a real difference. The AAP points to programmes that are slow-paced, use repetition deliberately, invite the child to respond, and feature characters that model language and social behaviour. Programmes designed with input from early childhood educators and tested with real children tend to perform better on these dimensions.

Watch for content that is fast-cutting, loud, and flashy. This type of stimulation holds a child's attention through novelty and surprise rather than through meaning. It is engaging in the moment but does not build the skills that more thoughtful content can.

For children under 2, the most effective alternatives to screens are also the simplest. Floor time with a small number of open-ended toys builds problem-solving and fine motor skills. Reading aloud, even to a baby who cannot follow the story, exposes them to vocabulary, rhythm, and the concept of narrative. Outdoor time, even just a walk in a pram, provides sensory input that screens cannot replicate. Songs and nursery rhymes build phonological awareness, the foundation of later reading. Unstructured time, where a baby or toddler is simply left to observe, reach, and explore in a safe space, supports self-regulation and independent attention.

If screen time has crept up and you want to bring it back within the recommended range, a gradual approach works better than a sudden removal. Replace one screen session at a time with a physical activity. Let the change feel like addition rather than loss.

If you are genuinely concerned about your child's development, whether related to screen time or not, your health visitor, paediatrician, or family doctor is the right first call. They can assess your child individually and give guidance that fits your specific situation. Guidelines from the WHO, AAP, and CDC are population-level recommendations, not a substitute for personalised clinical advice.

Frequently asked questions

Is any screen time okay for babies under 12 months?

The WHO and AAP both recommend no screen time at all for babies under 12 months, with one exception: live video calls with family members. A face-to-face video call is interactive and social, which is very different from passive video viewing. If your baby does see a screen accidentally, there is no need to panic, but it is worth redirecting attention to a physical toy or interaction as quickly as possible.

What counts as screen time for a baby?

Screen time includes television, smartphones, tablets, computers, and any other device with a visual display. It covers videos, apps, games, and background TV that a baby can see and hear even if they are not the intended viewer. Live video calls are generally treated separately by health bodies because they involve real two-way interaction.

Does background TV count as screen time?

Yes. The AAP specifically flags background television as a concern for young children. Even when a baby appears not to be watching, background TV reduces the amount of time a parent or caregiver spends talking, reading, and playing with the child. Less back-and-forth interaction slows language development and reduces the richness of the learning environment. Turning off the TV when it is not the focus helps protect that interaction time.

Can educational apps help my toddler learn?

Research reviewed by the AAP shows that children under about 2.5 years learn significantly better from a real person than from a video or app, even when the content is identical. Toddlers from around age 2 can begin to transfer learning from high-quality interactive apps, but only when a parent or caregiver watches alongside and connects what is on screen to the real world. An app used alone, without that adult bridge, is far less effective than it might appear.

What should I do if my child has already been watching a lot of screens?

Guidelines are a target, not a verdict. If your child has had more screen time than recommended, the most useful step is a gradual reset rather than a sudden stop. Introduce more physical play, outdoor time, and shared reading to fill the gaps. Talk to your health visitor, paediatrician, or family doctor if you are worried about development. They can assess your child individually and give you a plan suited to your family.

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