As per American Academy of Pediatrics, kids under 2 years of age should not have any exposure to screens, and children between the ages of 2 and 5 should not exceed 1 hour of screen time per day. 

It seems that governments and policy-makers were not aware of American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines when they required school districts to transition to online learning during the pandemic. 

American Academy of Pediatrics makes the following statement on their web portal, “In summary, for children younger than 2 years, evidence for benefits of media is still limited, adult interaction with the child during media use is crucial, and there continues to be evidence of harm from excessive digital media use”. 

Concerning the “harm” portion, this includes increased risk for obesity and shorter duration of nighttime sleep, as well as musculoskeletal issues linked to sedentary life style. “Good” screen time is defined as exposure to high-quality programming ( such as Sesame Workshop and PBS kids) , co-viewing and helping children understand digital content. It is recommended to have “unplugged” and “screen-free” zones around the house, one of them being the child’s bedroom. 

Explore PBS Kids activities here www.pbskids.org

Another excellent resource to try with your preschool and school-age children is Highlights. Your child will enjoy classic visual search activities that enhance ability to discern fine visual details, differentiate between “figure” and “background”, and contribute to the development of concentration.

https://www.highlightskids.com/games

The following link will take you to a page where you can create your family Media Plan- 

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx#home