• Children under 2 watch an average of 49 minutes of digital media a day, while the guidelines recommend avoiding screens for children under 2.

• Children ages 2-4 watch an average of 2.5 hours a day, more than twice the limit recommended.

• Children 5-8 watch just over three hours a day. The American Academy of Pediatricians does not provide strict time limits for school-aged children but advises parents to make sure screen time does not displace other activities.

The majority of parents surveyed reported that they're not concerned about the amount of time their kids spend with screens, the impact screen media have on their child or the quality of the content available to them. The survey also asked about the reasons for children's screen use: More than three-quarters of parents said "learning" was very or somewhat important, and more than half said parents need "time at home to get things done."

Henja Flores, a mother of three in Fresno, said videos from YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel taught her toddler sign language and the ABC's. "I use it as an educational thing, but also if I have to make lunch or dinner," she said. She's seen the headlines, but she lets her children watch two to three hours a day, as long as the shows don't seem too overstimulating.

"I just don't think it's something parents need to stress about. Moms need breaks. Moms needs to get things done. As long as it's helping, I don't think there's anything wrong with it at all," said Flores.

The Common Sense survey found screen habits varied by income level, race and ethnicity. In lower-income families, for example, children were watching an average of two more hours each day than those in higher-income families.

"For lower-income families there are going to be bigger barriers to limiting screen time. It takes a lot of time and work. Higher-income families are more likely to have high quality child care, which is very expensive in our country," said Nesi. "Sometimes screen time is serving as that thing that's going to keep your kid occupied and safe."

Black parents and those in lower-income households were also much more likely than their higher-income or white counterparts to perceive educational benefits to their children from screen media. Latino parents, meanwhile, had the highest level of concern about the possible negative effects of media in their children's futures.

Why do pediatricians want to limit children's screen time?

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