Screen time guidelines by age: a reference dataset
A citable reference of recommended daily screen time by age for young children, from the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics, with a chart and sources.
How much screen time is recommended at each age? This reference gathers the WHO and American Academy of Pediatrics guidance for young children in one comparable table, with sources.
Recommended maximum daily screen time
| Age | hours |
|---|---|
| <1 yr | 0 hours |
| 1 yr | 0 hours |
| 2 yr | 1 hours |
| 3-4 yr | 1 hours |
World Health Organization, ‘Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5’ (2019); American Academy of Pediatrics media-use guidance.
The dataset
| Age | WHO | AAP |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | Not recommended | Avoid screens (video chat OK) |
| 1 year | Not recommended | Avoid screens (video chat OK) |
| 18–24 months | — | High-quality only, co-viewed |
| 2 years | No more than 1 hour; less is better | Up to ~1 hour/day, high-quality |
| 2–4 years | No more than 1 hour sedentary; less is better | Up to ~1 hour/day, high-quality |
| 5 years | — | Consistent limits, high-quality content |
Practical notes
- Video chatting with family is treated as an exception, not screen time.
- Both bodies emphasise high-quality content and watching together (co-viewing).
- Screen-free routines like shared reading support language and sleep.
Frequently asked questions
How much screen time for a 2-year-old?
No more than about one hour of sedentary screen time a day, and less is better, per the WHO; the AAP similarly caps ages 2–5 at around one hour of high-quality content.
Is any screen time OK under 1?
Both the WHO and AAP recommend avoiding screen media under 1 year, with video chatting treated as an exception.
Sources
- World Health Organization, ‘Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5’ (2019); American Academy of Pediatrics media-use guidance.
- Confirm the latest wording directly from WHO and AAP before quoting exact limits.