Discussing Screen Time with Parents of Infants and Toddlers: Guidance for Clinicians

Question: As a clinician, are there guidelines I can give to parents of infants and toddlers about screen time? How do I approach discussing screen time with parents? 

Answer: Thanks for your question! It is important to help families establish early boundaries around screens. The infant and toddler years are a time when screens have more risks than benefits, and children who establish heavier viewing habits while young have more problematic media habits as they get older.  

Should infants and toddlers have screen time limits?

In short, yes. Boundaries and balance are important so that kids get sleep, play and time with their family. Studies have also linked higher screen use for young children with delays in language, social communication skills, cognition, sleep problems, and less physical activity. For more information about these effects, review our prior response about early childhood screen use. 

That said, decisions around screen use will vary from family to family. 

Screen Time Guidelines 

AAP’s new Digital Media Guidelines broadly recommend parents and caregivers limit screen time for infants and toddlers other than video chat. However, many families use screens to occupy infants - for example, caregivers may have more than one job or may have physical limitations that make it hard to play with their child or grandchild. This is a great opportunity to meet families where they are and 1) suggest they use high-quality educational media for limited amounts of time, 2) recommend they talk with the child while the screen is on, and 3) discuss alternatives such as occupying the child with books or toys. These approaches help prevent developmental delays and may be seen as more realistic to parents compared to “all or nothing” solutions.   

For those parents who are looking for time limit recommendations, the guidelines recommend infants’ exposure to screens (besides video chatting) be limited to occasional brief, high-quality videos, such as Sesame Street, while toddlers older than 18 months are limited to no more than 1 hour of screen time per day.  

Parents may also have questions about having a TV on in the background with an infant. You can recommend they read our response on background screens in infancy, which recommends limiting exposure to screens even when their child is not actively watching. 

Special considerations for infants 

Infants who are 18 months old or younger struggle to transfer what they see on a screen to their real world. There’s actually a name for this - the transfer deficit. For example, an infant might watch a character on a screen demonstrate how to do something but then struggle to do the same task with real objects. This happens because moving from 2D media (TV, touchscreens, picture books) to the 3D real world creates a mismatch, and that mismatch makes it harder for young children to apply what they learned. This transfer deficit becomes less pronounced as children get older and into the toddler years.   

If a parent decides to put on screen media for their infant child, brief use of educational programs like PBS Kids or Sesame Street is a better option than many other shows because of their understanding of child development. Families should avoid platforms with low-quality content, such as YouTube. 

Tips for Talking to Parents 

Wondering how to discuss a child’s screen use with a parent or caregiver? First, approach this as a nuanced conversation with no one correct answer. There are a few resources and tips you might find helpful: 

• Approach the conversation without judgment: Many parents feel judged or guilty about how much screen time happens at home. Recognizing that there are outside pressures and challenges can reduce shame and help focus on realistic, positive changes.  
• Utilize the 5 Cs of Media Use framework and resources: Consider downloading the 5 Cs posters for clinicians available on our resource hub to keep in your clinic or wherever you interact with parents. 
• Support parents to think through the 5 Cs of Media use. Share specific 5 Cs resources for parents of infants and toddlers/preschoolers that can provide additional guidance. You might help them think through: 
  • Crowding out: making sure screen time does not “crowd out” other important activities like play time with a parent or family member, speaking with their parent or others around them, and reading together. 
  • Content: choosing higher quality content like Ms. Rachel, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Sesame Street, or other shows on PBS Kids that support learning and development. Parents may need to use screens to entertain their child at times, so help them understand how to identify higher-quality content that promotes child development vs. lower-quality content. This handout on how to find good content for young children can be shared with families.  
• Discuss parent technology use: Parents’ habits set the tone for their children, so encourage parents to model healthy screen and technology use at home. This handout on parents’ screen time boundaries can be shared with families.  
• Start the conversation early: Healthy screen habits start early. Support parents to set boundaries in early childhood around screen use, which will help their child develop balanced relationships with technology they can carry through their teens and into adulthood. 
• Encourage media use that allows parents and children to play and connect, like through songs and dancing. In other words, encourage caregivers to be as present as possible with media interaction, and use media as a path for learning.  
• Help parents think through non-screen play ideas. Play is one of the single most important things a child can do to help them develop critical skills, engage with parents, and build safe and nurturing relationships.  It’s normal for parents to run out of play ideas and resort to screen time, especially on days when they are stuck indoors. Encourage parents to think through things they used to love to play with as a child, like singing, taking a walk, or reading together. 

Additional Resources for Pediatricians 

• Our Early Childhood Development and Screen Time Toolkit has additional resources, including conversation starters and tips for talking about screen time to help you engage with parents about healthy screen media use. 
• Keep a few non-screen play idea lists handy, such as Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child’s Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children or Zero to Three’s Play Activities for 12 to 24 Months.  
• Review our past portal responses on background screens in infancy, screen time for infants, screen time limits for young children, and early childhood screen use. You may also find our portal responses on watching Ms. Rachel and CoComelon and early childhood development helpful.  

References 

• Adams, C., Kubin, L., & Humphrey, J. (2023). Screen technology exposure and infant cognitive development: A scoping review. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 69, e97–e104.   
• Barr, R.. (2013). Memory Constraints on Infant Learning From Picture Books, Television, and Touchscreens. Child Development Perspectives, 7(4), 205–210.   
• Coyne, S. M., Shawcroft, J., Holmgren, H., Christensen-Duerden, C., Ashby, S., Rogers, A., Reschke, P. J., Barr, R., Domoff, S., Van Alfen, M., Meldrum, M., & Porter, C. L. (2024). The Growth of Problematic Media Use Over Early Childhood: Associations with Long-term Social and Emotional Outcomes. Computers in Human Behavior, 159, Article 108350.  
• Madigan, S., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Eirich, R., & Christakis, D. A. (2020). Associations Between Screen Use and Child Language Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(7), 665–675.   
• Munzer, T., Parga-Belinkie, J., Matile Milkovich, L., Tomopoulos, S., Ajumobi, T., Cross, C., Gerwin, R., Madigan, S. (2026). Council on Communications and Media; Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement. Pediatrics, 157(2), e2025075320.   
• Takahashi, I., Obara, T., Ishikuro, M., Murakami, K., Ueno, F., Noda, A., Onuma, T., Shinoda, G., Nishimura, T., Tsuchiya, K. J., & Kuriyama, S. (2023). Screen Time at Age 1 Year and Communication and Problem-Solving Developmental Delay at 2 and 4 Years. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(10), 1039–1046.   
• Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Michnick Golinkoff,  R. (2018). Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Council on Communications and Media; The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics 142(3), e20182058.   

Age: 0-4 

Topics: screen time, infants, toddlers, parent guidance 

Role: Pediatrician/Clinician