17/08/2026
WHO suggested Screen time recommendations by age👇🏾
📌Infants < 1 year
- No screen time at all
- Instead: floor-based play, tummy time 30 min spread through the day.
📌Ages 1 - 2 years
- No screen time for 1-year-olds
- Max 1 hour per day for 2-year-olds, with less being better
- Should be high-quality, educational content and co-viewed with a caregiver
📌Ages 2 - 4 years
- Max 1 hour of sedentary screen time per day
- Less is better
📌Ages 5 - 10 years
WHO didn’t set a specific number in the 2019 under-5 guideline. Other pediatric groups like the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, which aligns with WHO principles, suggest less than 2 hours per day for recreational screen time. 📌The key is: "the lesser, the better".
📌Other WHO tips on “how” children should use gadgets:
👀Replace screen time with play. Kids 1-4 years should get at least 3 hours of physical activity daily
👀Avoid restraints. No more than 1 hour at a time in strollers/high chairs
👀Sleep matters: Good sleep is part of it too - 11-14 hours for 1-2yr olds, 10-13 hours for 3-4yr olds.
Interactive play with caregivers is more important than passive watching
📌No screens 1 hour before bed to avoid disrupting sleep .
"What we are cautioning on is over-use of those electronic screen times with young children"
