Screen time means recreational TV, phone, tablet and gaming — not online school work. Watching together and talking about it helps young children learn from what they see.
| Age | AAP (US) | IAP (India) | WHO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 months | none (video calls OK) | none under 2 years | none under 1; none sedentary at 1 |
| 18–24 months | little, co-viewed | none | none |
| 2–5 years | 1 hour | 1 hour | 1 hour (less is better) |
| 6+ years | consistent limits | < 2 hours (5–10 y) | — |
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Guidelines agree that babies and toddlers under 2 should have little or no screen time apart from video calls, and children aged 2 to 5 no more than 1 hour a day. Enter your child's age — and their daily screen time if you like — to compare.
India's IAP recommends no screens under 2 years, up to 1 hour for 2–5 year olds and under 2 hours for 5–10 year olds.
| Age | 40 months |
| Screen time now (optional) | 3 hours a day |
| Recommended | Up to 1 hour a day of good-quality programmes, watched together |
| Your child | 3 hours a day — 2 hours over |
| That adds up to | 1,095 hours a year (46 full days) |
| Swap ideas | Outdoor play, reading together, drawing, music, helping with simple chores; no screens in the hour before bed or during meals |
| Sleep needed | 10–13 hours — screens should never cut into it |
Up to 1 hour a day of good-quality programmes, watched together; 3 hours a day — 2 hours over.
Try this example →No more than 1 hour a day of good-quality programmes, ideally watched with a parent.
Only video calls with family; WHO, AAP and IAP advise against other screen time under 18 months to 2 years.
No — guidelines are about recreational screen time.