How much screen time should kids under 8 have?

Question

Thoughts and reasons? There is a recommended amount I'll update later with, however this differs from place to place so it isn't "right" just recommended.

Answer

Until they are over two they won't get anything including television per the recommendation as it can stunt cognitive development. After that it will be age and content appropriate and very limited

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My son is 4 and I cant expect him to play all day long everyday.  A couple of hours of screen time throughout the day provides him some quiet time.

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We didn't allow our son any tv time until he was 5 years old now he is older and he doesn't even really watch tv. The shows they have for kids are so weird so we just purchase educational dvds and let him watch things about the universe and animals and what not.

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I didn't start watching tv until I was three and then it was only allowed on weekends for an hour or two a day. My husband was the complete opposite and watched tv all the time. Though my husband was all on board with no tv since he truly believes his attention and memory issues stem from his mother outing him in front of a tv as an indent I decided to go with the recommendation of no tv under two and then an hour a week based off age. I was teased when I was pregnant because when I said no tv and no pacifiers people told me I would change my mind after birth because I didn't know how hard parenting would be. Nope. One year down and he's never watched tv and never had a pacifier. I'm sticking to it. I don't even watch tv during the week myself. If he's fussy I put him on my back while I clean, or I go for a run with him in the stroller. If I'm busy I give him new activities to do. I just don't see the need in tv. My son likes to sit on my lap in the evening and chew on toys while I read my book out loud. We're on book four of the Narnia collection. It's calming.

Answer

2 hours or less. And only after homework or other productive things for the day are done

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My 9 year old gets and hour of xbox on Sat and sun. and through out the week he gets to watch TV or get on the xbox for maybe an hour other than he plays with his toys or Playa at his friends (they may do electronics  over there and summer time makes a difference  also. my almost 2 year watches 4 episodes of side the science  kid a day (split up) that's about an hour  1/2

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Is this per day or per week?

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Completely up to what the parents feel is best. I grew up with a tv always in my bedroom and slept with it on until college. My mom was a single mother who worked nonstop to provide for us, if tv distracted us enough for her to take a cat nap or do some chores, so be it. That's not to say I didn't play with toys and friends and spent hours a day outside. I don't personally think there was any negative issues with myself in the long run, but I probably will have limitations with my daughter.

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My 14 month old hasn't been interested in TV until just this past week. Even if it was on somewhere that we were he wouldn't even really look at it - we don't really watch it at home ever either though. We've all been really sick this past week though so I've been putting a movie on in the afternoon and he'll cuddle with me and watch it. I think other than when he's sick though I'll stick with no screen time until he's old enough to ask for it, and then only 30 minutes a day aside from the occasional family movie night. My parents had a 30 minutes a day rule for us until I was a teenager, and to this day I'd rather read a book most of the time. Hoping to pass that on to my kids as well. No judgement on parents that allow their kids to watch more TV than that though! We all have to just do what works for us.

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My one year old watches little kid shows sometimes. But she loves watching kid songs on my iPad   I swear she'd watch it all day if she could

How much screen time should kids under 8 have?

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