New Guidelines Released On Screentime For Children

You’ve heard the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that children under the age of two should be discouraged from any screentime, and that children over two should get no more than two hours per day.

The AAP has revamped its guidelines in a news release (www.aappublications.org/content/36/10/54.full), taking into account that more than 30 percent of children in the U.S. play with a mobile device when they are still in diapers, and most teens have smartphones, which they use constantly. With the new, more practical advice from the AAP, parents who let their toddlers watch 15 minutes of programming on YouTube Kids no longer have to feel guilty.

Dr. Kirsten Cullen Sharma, parenting and childhood development expert, and neuropsychologist at the Child Study Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, recently spoke about this topic daily with parents. Some of her helpful tips include:
• There are ways to balance screen time with all of the other activities parents think are important for children.
• Stress in the home can be reduced by setting up expectations and using screens as rewards.
• Using screens as motivation can teach kids the relationship between hard work and rewards.
• What kids are doing on screens can be more important than the time factor. •

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