3 On Your Side: How Much Is Too Much Screen Time For Your Toddler?
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- How much time do your kids spend looking at iPad and smartphone screens? Many parents these days are even giving toddlers their own devices.
A study from Babycenter.com finds one out of three parents give kids their own tablet by the age of five, and eight percent buy them their own smartphone.
Freye Smith is just two years old but already has her own iPad, and getting her to give it up can be a challenge.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says kids two and over should be limited to just two hours a day in front of screens. And it should be avoided for children under two completely.
"It's a challenge for everybody to navigate the digital age," said Dr. Ari Brown with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Brown says the American Academy of Pediatrics realizes the challenge todays parents face and is updating its guidelines to better reflect the modern age.
Those changes will come this fall, but she says it's still important for young kids to unplug.
"Have tech free zones. So tech free zones might be meals times and definitely the bedroom," said
Brown.
Freye's mother Cherry says she follows the current guidelines as close as she can but will gradually increase her daughter's screen time as she gets older. Pediatricians say studies have shown that excessive media use can lead to attention problems, sleep disorders, and obesity.
