How much screen time is OK for your kids? A judgment-free guide for parents
As the almost-too-catchy theme song to Disney Channel favorite "Phineas and Ferb" goes, there are 104 days (ish) of summer vacation, and the problem is finding a good way to spend them.
As schools close, temperatures rise and child care becomes expensive and difficult, parents might be looking for additional entertainment for their kids this summer. And for many families, that could involve a bit more time spent in front of a screen each day. Choosing how much, what type of screen and what type of content is right for your kids and family isn't as easy as it was back when most parents were young, and they clicked their TV sets to Nickelodeon or Disney Channel and called it a day.
Woes about screen time for kids of all ages are a frequent topic in the news and parenting circles, as new technologies, new studies and new concerns emerge with each passing day. Recommendations for the youngest children are relatively simple and restrained, but as kids grow into elementary school years, roughly ages 6 to 11, the amount of content they might consume on a screen increases exponentially at home, at a friend's house and school. Far from just Disney, Nick and other traditional television and movie sources, there's YouTube, video games (both on and offline), internet browsing and even the introduction of social media sites for some children, depending on their access to devices. Everything is aggressively easy for kids to get their hands on, and desperately difficult for parents to filter. How do you make the right choice?
We spoke with doctors, media experts and television creators about how to navigate screen time this summer for this age group, from how much to what kind and what to avoid. You may not be able to control every aspect of what your kids are exposed to, but you can make more informed decisions the next time they ask for the iPad.
How much screen time is OK for 6-to 11-year-olds? It's complicated
The American Academy of Pediatrics has strict rules about screen time for babies and toddlers. Kids under 2 should only be video chatting, if they use screens at all, and from ages 2 to 5, kids should have no more than one hour per day of quality programming, preferably viewed with a caregiver. Easy peasy, right?
But what about when the kids turn 6? Do they turn into a pumpkin in front of the TV? The official AAP policy statement only includes guidelines up to age 5.
"There's vagueness about what's considered the (right) amount of time," says Rebecca Fisk, a pediatric hospitalist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, noting that the general recommendation among pediatricians is around two hours a day at these ages. "It has to do with so many schools across the country and the world are using screens in school, so how do you tease it out? I think people are a little too reticent to put a hard line on that number."
Knowing your kid is probably the most important part of the screen time equation, says Alison Yeung, a family physician in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, who advises families on screen time use. "All screen time is not equal, right? So if you are watching for an hour on the couch with your kid, that is entirely different screen time in my mind than a child watching an iPad with their headphones on by themselves for an hour. We use screen time as a tool to help us get things done or take a break, or spend time together. But balance that (desire) with how it affects your individual child."
Amid the chaos of summer break, when kids' schedules are often in flux with camps, vacations and activity lulls, Yeung recommends retaining as much structure as possible in their technology usage to avoid "emotional and behavioral dysregulation."
"Sometimes your life can actually just be easier if you keep structure," she says.
What should kids be watching on TV? Try the good stuff
"I certainly hear all the time that parents get more overwhelmed by the choices for older kids," says Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager of PBS Kids. "It's really complicated right now, and we like to talk about the fact that we're still building content with the kids in mind, as opposed to building for an algorithm."
Kids ages 6 to 11 can understand the dynamics of good and bad characters, but it's important that the good guys always win in the end. The people we root for should still be thoughtful, nice and kind.
This was extremely important to "Phineas and Ferb" creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, back in the 2000s when the popular show first premiered on the Disney Channel, and now that it has returned, after a 10-year hiatus, for a new season (now streaming on Disney+).
They made sure that "'Phineas and Ferb' would be a 'nicer' show than a lot of what was out there," Povenmire says. "One of the easiest places to go for a laugh has always been to make the characters say or do something mean, and we decided to try to make a good, funny, edgy show in which none of the characters were motivated by being mean. It made our jobs as comedy writers harder, but as a result, the show resonates positivity from its very core."
Kids may think they're old enough for the less-than-kind role models on the likes of Fox's "The Simpsons" or "Family Guy," but they're not teenagers yet. Even some series more explicitly aimed at children − such as "Ed, Edd n Eddy," which ran on Cartoon Network from 1999 to 2008 − feature protagonists with streaks of cruelty.
"We're looking for stories and characters that will spark excitement and enthusiasm for learning," says Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer of Fred Rogers Productions, which produces PBS shows "Alma's Way" and "Odd Squad." "Our advisers are always encouraging the writers to have the characters name their feelings (and incorporate) the idea that you can feel more than one way about something.
"Honestly, these are lifelong lessons," she adds. "I see the same thing in a lot of wellness content for grown-ups that I just come across."
Educational programming is still important, but sometimes for kids this age, it is all just fun and games. "You get into the elementary age programming and it's a lot more about fun and silliness," says Polly Conway, the senior TV editor at Common Sense Media, a website designed to vet kids' programming for busy parents. Children in this group are "ready for a little bit more adventure. They're also able to really process more plot-based shows."
Conway notes that kids this age sometimes are exposed to adult stories like Marvel or "Star Wars" movies, and sometimes it's hard to find content that is grownup enough for them to feel like the "big kids" they are, without being inappropriate. She recommends series like "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" and "Star Wars: Skeleton Crew" (both on Disney+) for kids who want in on those big franchises without the mature content.
Kids can be "introduced to those worlds that grown-ups love, but maybe they're not quite ready to see the whole big thing," she says.
TV is the least of our parents' screen time concerns these days
Old worries about cartoons now seem quaint compared to the dangers of modern technology: YouTube, social media, online video games and the nebulous big baddie of artificial intelligence.
"If we're looking at relative risk or harm between various types of media, TV is going to be the least engaging and has the least amount of these addictive features," says Yeung, the family doctor. "I get a lot of pushback from parents saying, 'Well, this is just the same as TV when we were young, all this newer technology. What's the big deal?' It truly is just so different."
Fisk echoes fears about new technology that can lead to mental health problems or expose children to violence, bullying, sexual predators, or the growing "sextortion" scams that can be deadly. "We know about the problems," she says. "The most important thing to me as a pediatrician is setting rules as a family."
Both doctors emphasize the importance of using screens as a family, and choosing quality family-friendly content, whether that's TV, films, or video games. The use of screens should be one of community, not social isolation. Conway suggests families enjoy the best kids' shows together, but also family-friendly reality TV, like Netflix's "Is it Cake?" or Fox's "LEGO Masters."
To their credit, kids TV creators are trying to make shows for the parents, too.
"I’ve always considered our target audience to be the 2 to 99 age group," says Marsh of "Phineas." "I think the world is really in need of a big shot of fun, kind, understanding, inclusive, wacky, loving, sing-along, dance-along, nostalgic, family-viewing entertainment."