CANADIAN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SAFE USE OF ELECTRONIC SCREENS FOR CHILDREN

0 -2 Years

None, with the possible exception of live video-chatting (e.g., Skype, Facetime) with parental support, due to its potential for social development, though this needs further investigation.

2-5 Years

No more than one hour per day. Programming should be age-appropriate, educational, high-quality, and co-viewed, and should be discussed with the child to provide context and help them apply what they are seeing to their three-dimensional environment.

5-18 Years

Ideally no more than two hours per day of recreational screen time. Parents and eye care providers should be aware that children report total screen time use as much higher (more than seven hours per day in some studies). This is not unrealistic considering the multitude of device screens children may be exposed to in a day, both at home and at school. Individual screen time plans for children between the ages of 5–18 years should be considered based on their development and needs.

• Dr. Lindsay Copeland