In other words, directives to limit the time young children spend on digital devices may not be taking root because many parents simply don't believe screen time is a problem in the first place.

Should children under 5 have screen time?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends families avoid screens for babies under 18 months, with the exception of video chatting. Parents who want to introduce digital media to toddlers ages 18-24 months should keep it very limited, choose high-quality educational programming, always watch alongside their children, and interact with their children both during and after watching.

For children ages 2-5, pediatricians recommend limiting screen time to one hour a day of high-quality programming that is educational, interactive and pro-social with few or no advertisements. Parents should avoid fast-paced programs, apps with distracting content and anything with violence. Whenever possible, they should co-view with their children to help them understand what they are seeing.

Pediatricians also recommend that children avoid screens during mealtimes and at least one hour before bedtime. When no one is watching the TV, it should be turned off. And parents should avoid regularly using screens to calm their child, because it can make it difficult to set limits and teach children to regulate their own emotions.

"We don't want to be the scolds. It's our job to provide information to parents but to also say we understand the reality of everyone's current lifestyle. It's just a different world now," said Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, one of the authors of the academy's policy statement. "[Parents] aren't going to be perfect 100% of the time."

Jacqueline Nesi, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Brown University and author of Techno Sapiens, said screen time limits need to be a balance. While there is evidence that endless screen time — especially more than four hours a day — can be harmful, Nesi said there aren't data to support a strict one-hour cutoff.

"As parents we know life isn't always aligned with the recommendations. We don't want to throw them away, but we also don't want to be in a place where we're demonizing all screen time."

What percentage of parents limit their kids' screen time?

The most recent data available come from a national survey of nearly 1,500 families with children ages 8 and younger conducted by Common Sense Media in 2020, just weeks before the pandemic closures began. The survey found that few families were coming anywhere close to pediatricians' recommended limits.

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