Tips to Limit Screen Time in Young Children
The goal is to encourage children to engage in other activities important to their health and development and to establish positive media viewing habits that will keep their visual, mental, and physical health in check.
Avoid digital media use in infants under 18 to 24 months of age.
If you want to introduce digital media to your 18-24-month-old, choose high-quality programming and make sure to use the media together with your child. Solo media use at this age should be avoided.
For children 2 to 5 years of age, limit screen use to 1 hour of high-quality programming per day.
20-20-20 rule: make sure your child takes a 20-second break every 20 minutes and views something 20 feet away.
Avoid fast-paced programs and any violent content.
Make sure to turn off screens (including television) and other devices when not in use.
Refrain from using media as the primary method of calming your child. Although there are cases when media is a useful soothing strategy, doing so regularly can lead to problems with setting limits and can hinder a child’s emotional regulation.
Make sure that your child doesn’t use his or her digital device one hour before bedtime.
Technology is the present and the future. By following these measures and tips, you’ll go a long way toward keeping your tech-savvy child seeing clearly and feeling healthy for many years to come.
Make sure to schedule an annual eye exams to ensure that your child’s eyes are healthy and seeing well. Dr. Takeia Locke will perform special tests and provide suggestions to reduce the risk and symptoms of computer eye strain.
Dr. Takeia Locke at the Myopia Control Center At Family Eye Care Center of Atlanta evaluates and treats patients throughout Buckhead, Atlanta, Vinings, and Brookhaven in Georgia