One of the biggest challenges caregivers face today is managing screen time. Children and adolescents ages 8 to 18 spend an average of 7.5 hours a day on screens. Most receive their first smartphone at age 10, and the majority begin using social media by age 12. While limited, high-quality screen time can be educational, excessive use can lead to problems with sleep, school performance, social development, and physical and mental health. Youth are also especially vulnerable to bullying, harassment, and exploitation online. To set healthy and safe boundaries around screen time, families are encouraged to create a family media plan, such as the interactive version offered by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
When making a family media plan, the first step is to consider your child’s developmental stage. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommends the following guidelines:
– Until 18 months: Limit screen use to video chatting with an adult
– Ages 18- and 24-months: Limit screen use to watching educational programming with a caregiver
– Ages 2-5 years: Limit non-educational screen time to about 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on the weekend days.
– Ages 6 years and older: Encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens
These age ranges are rough estimates and caregivers should adjust based on their child’s maturity and needs.
In his bestseller The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the combination of smartphones, social media, and overprotective parenting in recent decades has fueled the current youth mental health crisis. He recommends delaying smartphones until high school and social media until age 16. While it can be difficult for families to follow these recommendations alone, community efforts like the “Wait Until 8th” pledge can help families work together. In the meantime, families can consider smartphone alternatives such as basic cell phones, landlines or smartwatches.
Beyond the amount and type of screen time, setting boundaries around when and where devices are used is also important. Consider screen-free zones in your house, such as the dining table or the kids’ bedrooms, and screen-free times of day, such as during mealtimes or before homework is done. Removing devices from bedrooms at night and setting a consistent “screen curfew” are particularly helpful.
Finally, the most effective way to reduce screen use is to help youth build a lifestyle less compatible with devices. After-school clubs, sports, family activities, volunteering or part-time jobs can all create natural breaks from devices.
While your family media plan will evolve over time, setting boundaries early on helps establish healthy habits. Be consistent with rules but also involve your child in revisiting and adjusting the plan as they grow. Regular conversations about screen use and related topics, such as digital safety and privacy, can keep communication open between caregivers and children.
References
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Children and Watching TV. Facts for Families, No. 54. Updated June 2018. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx
American Academy of Pediatrics. Family Media Plan. HealthyChildren.org. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.healthychildren.org/english/fmp/pages/mediaplan.aspx
Haidt J. The Anxious Generation: For Parents. The Anxious Generation. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/pdfs/for-parents.pdf
Haidt J. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York, NY: Penguin Press; 2024.
Wait Until 8th. Wait Until 8th. Accessed September 2, 2025. https://www.waituntil8th.org/
AUTHOR:
Dr. Kristen Kim, MD
Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist
Vista Hill Foundation