Screen time for kids by age: what WHO and AAP guidance actually says

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Few parenting topics come with as much guilt as screen time. The guidance has also changed over the years, so it helps to know what the main health bodies actually recommend now, and what they have stopped recommending.

The World Health Organization (WHO)

WHO's 2019 guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep cover children under five:

Under 1 year: no screen time.
1 year: no sedentary screen time (such as watching TV or videos).
2 to 4 years: no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day, and less is better.

The guidelines are really about the whole day: plenty of active play, good sleep, and not being strapped into a pram, high chair or car seat for long stretches. Screens are limited mainly because they replace those things.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

For years the AAP's advice was the familiar one: avoid screens other than video chatting for babies, introduce high-quality content with a parent from around 18 months, and about an hour a day for ages 2 to 5. In early 2026 the AAP published a new policy statement, "Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents", which replaces its earlier media guidance. The biggest change is that it no longer centres on a fixed number of minutes. Instead it asks families to look at what children watch and play, who they do it with and what it pushes out of the day. It also puts part of the responsibility on technology companies and policymakers, noting that many platforms are designed to maximise engagement rather than support children's development. Families are encouraged to make a family media plan together, agreeing priorities and rules that suit their own household. If you want specific numbers for a pre-schooler, the WHO limits above remain the clearest benchmark. For school-age children and teenagers, the emphasis on content, context and balance is now the mainstream approach.

Quality matters more than minutes

An hour of a slow-paced educational programme watched with a parent who talks about it is very different from an hour of autoplaying short videos alone. Questions worth asking:

Content: is it age-appropriate, made for children, and free of constant ads and in-app purchase prompts?
Context: are you watching or playing together sometimes? Co-viewing helps young children understand and learn from what they see.
Design: does it end naturally, or is it built to keep them scrolling with autoplay, streaks and rewards?
Displacement: is screen time eating into sleep, outdoor play, reading, homework or family meals?
Mood: does your child come off it calm, or regularly irritable and upset?

Practical rules that tend to work

Screen-free zones: bedrooms and the dinner table are the usual ones. Charging phones and tablets outside the bedroom overnight protects sleep.
Screen-free times: the hour before bed, mealtimes and the first part of the morning.
No screens as the default soother. Occasional use in a long queue is fine; using a tablet for every moment of boredom or upset makes it harder for children to learn other ways to cope.
Turn off autoplay and use built-in parental controls and child profiles.
Give warnings before time is up ("two more minutes" or "when this episode ends") so stopping is less of a battle.
Watch your own habits. Children copy what they see, and a parent on a phone during play or meals sends a clear message.
Involve older children in writing the family rules. They follow rules they helped make much more readily.

Phones and social media

For older children, the questions shift towards when to give a first smartphone, which apps are allowed, and how to handle social media, messaging and online safety. A gradual approach works well: a basic phone or limited apps first, more freedom as trust builds, and regular, non-judgemental conversations about what they see online. Check each platform's minimum age, which is set in its own terms and by the law where you live.

Do not panic about the numbers

Guidance is a target, not a test you pass or fail every day. A sick day, a long flight or a rainy weekend with more cartoons than usual does no lasting harm. What matters is the overall pattern: plenty of sleep, movement, play and time together, with screens fitting around those rather than replacing them. Guidance is updated from time to time, so check the WHO and AAP websites or ask your paediatrician or health visitor for current advice. What screen rules work in your house? Share them, or ask a question, in the comments below.