Screen Time for Infants

Question: Is screen time allowed for babies or infants?

Answer: As digital devices like smart phones, laptops, and tablets become more ingrained in families’ daily lives, they have also become more accessible to young children, including babies. When it comes to guidance around infant screen usage, AAP’s new Digital Media Guidelines broadly recommend parents and caregivers limit screen time for infants, focus on co-viewing any content together with your child, and ensure their screen time does not replace other educational and recreational activities, such as play time.  

Children younger than 2 learn best from exploring the world around them and playing with other children and adults, and they have a hard time understanding what they’re viewing on screens unless it’s explained by an adult. A good example of how parents can use a digital device together with their infant is to use FaceTime or similar apps to video chat with family members. You might need to explain who is on the screen, repeat what they are saying, describe what is happening, etc. 

Watching TV or Streaming Videos 

Researchers have found that overall screen time and regularly having a TV on in the background were linked with lower language and social-emotional skills in young children. However, viewing educational content or watching with a parent/caregiver was associated with increased language skills. If your baby or young child is viewing a screen, we encourage you to select high-quality, child-centered content and watch with them. Make this a fun family activity! Examples of well-designed, high-quality content include shows like Sesame Street or Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on PBSKids and YouTube channels such as Ms. Rachel or Super Simple Songs.  

A note on YouTube: While popular with kids, not all YouTube content is good. YouTube Kids has more age-appropriate options. A YouTube alternate called Sensical reviews all of the videos posted to make sure they are high-quality.  

Resources for Parents 

As your child gets older and has more access to screens, we encourage parents to establish boundaries and balance with screen time early. Consider some of the parent resources available in the AAP Early Childhood Development and Screen Time Toolkit, including tip sheets on co-viewing with your child, helping your child transition away from screens, and the 5 Cs of Media Use in early childhood.  

You may also find these portal responses helpful: 

• Should Young Children Have Screen Time Limits  
• Health Effects of Young Kids Being on Screens Too Long  
• Watching Ms. Rachel 
• Watching CoComelon and Guidance on Early Childhood Development 
• Reducing Screen Time for Toddlers 

Additional resources:   

• “How Much Screen Time is OK for My Kids?” - An article by Common Sense Media that emphasizes how the quality of media use is more important than setting a screen time limit 
• “Are Some Types of Screen Time Better Than Others?” - An article by Common Sense Media that provides guidance on assessing the quality of a child’s digital media use. 
• Family Media Plan - Healthychildren.org recommends creating a Family Media Plan to facilitate discussion around safe and practical media use that works for a family’s specific needs.    
• Parents’ Decision Guide to YouTube for Young Kids Infographic – Common Sense Media created a step-by-step guide with the University of Michigan to guide parents in navigating YouTube.  
• Helping Kids Thrive in a Digital World: AAP Policy Explained - This Healthychildren.org article explains AAP’s new digital media guidelines. You may also find this Center of Excellence webpage helpful. 
• Choosing Media Content for Young Children Using the E-AIMS Model – Zero to Three offers a model to assess media based on whether programming is Engaging, Actively Involved, Meaningful, and Social.  

References 

• Eirich, R., McArthur, B.A., & Anhorn, C. (2022). Association of Screen Time With Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Children 12 Years of Younger. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(5), 393-405. 
• 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., Milkovich, L.M., Tomopoulos, S., Ajumobi, T., Cross, C., Gerwin, R., & Madigan, S. R. Psych, Council on Communications and Media. (2026). Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement, Pediatrics, 157(2) e2025075320.   

Age: 0-2, early childhood 

Topics: Screen time, babies, infants 

Role: Parent