Reviewed by The Mom Store editorial team, October 2026. See our editorial policy.
Healthy screen time for young children starts later and stays shorter than most families expect. Before about 18 months, the main exception is video calls with people your child loves. From 2 to 5 years, the guidance is roughly an hour a day or less, ideally watched with you. The rest of this post explains where those numbers come from and how to make them work in a busy Indian home where the TV, everyone's phone and a tablet are all within reach.
What the guidelines say, age by age
| Age | What the guidance says |
| Under 1 year | The WHO guidelines on physical activity, sitting and sleep for under fives say screen time is not recommended. Reading and storytelling with a caregiver are encouraged instead. |
| 1 year | WHO does not recommend sitting screen time such as TV, videos or games. |
| Under 18 months | The American Academy of Pediatrics, in its explainer on why to avoid TV for infants and toddlers, advises against TV and apps before 18 months, but says video chatting with a distant grandparent or parent is fine. |
| 2 to 4 years | WHO: no more than 1 hour a day; less is better. The AAP gives a similar limit of 1 hour a day from 18 months to 5 years. |
These are limits, not targets. A day with no screens at all is not a day your child has missed out.
Why the early years matter
Babies and toddlers learn language and thinking through back and forth with people: being talked to, sung to, read to, and handed real objects to touch. The AAP explains that it takes around 18 months for a child to connect what is on a screen with the real world, and that even a TV left on in the background, with no one watching, cuts down how much parents talk to their child. In many homes the TV runs all day for elders or for news. If your baby is in the room, switching it off, or moving it to a different room, makes a real difference.
Good screen time and less useful screen time
Not all screen time is the same. Some uses are much better than others:
- Video calls with family. The AAP says video chats can help build relationships between your child and loved ones. A daily call with grandparents in another city counts as connection, not passive watching.
- Watching together and talking about it. The AAP's guide on questions to ask about infants and screen time suggests that if media is on, you watch together and talk about what you see, then turn it into play.
- Slow, well made programmes for children over 2. Shows designed to teach language and early maths can help, especially when children answer the characters' questions. For babies, the AAP does not recommend cartoons and nursery rhyme videos, and advises against long stretches of TV or YouTube.
- Less useful: long stretches of video alone, screens used every time a baby cries, and a TV on in the background all day.
Making it work at home
Keep meals screen free. The AAP advice on food and media is to put all devices aside at meals and use the time to talk, partly because children eating in front of a screen tend to keep eating after they are full. This one is hard in families where a phone is how a toddler is coaxed to finish dinner, but it gets easier after the first week.
Find other ways to calm. The AAP advises against using a screen to stop a baby crying, so that screens do not become the only source of comfort. Rocking, singing, a walk on the balcony or a feed may take longer, but they help your child learn other ways to settle.
Plan the non screen time first. Instead of deciding when screens are allowed, fill the day with other things: building with blocks, drawing, a trip to the park, helping knead dough or sort vegetables. Screens then fit into what is left.
Give a warning before it ends. Snatching the remote or phone mid show usually leads to tears. Tell your child a few minutes before time is up, and let them press the off button themselves. This gives them some control and makes the end less of a fight.
Choose the content yourself. Check shows and apps before your child uses them, since "educational" on the label does not always mean much. Use the parental controls on your TV, tablet and YouTube app, and turn off autoplay. Our post on managing kids' screen time lists some apps worth a look.
Watch your own use. The AAP suggests being mindful of your own phone and TV use around your child. Children copy what they see, and putting your phone in another room during play time is one of the simplest changes you can make.
Make family viewing an event. For older preschoolers, a weekend film watched together, with each family member taking turns to choose, makes screen time something shared rather than something to argue about.
When to talk to your doctor
Speak to your paediatrician if your child seems unable to settle without a screen, has frequent tantrums when screens end that are getting worse, or if you have concerns about their speech, play or sleep. These are worth discussing at any check up, and your doctor can help you make a plan that suits your family.
This article updates an earlier post by Dipannita Das and includes tips from an earlier post by Dhanya Nair.
This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor.
