Screen Time Use In Toddlers Is Way Above The Daily Recommendation, Says Study

Parenting can be super tough and sometimes the easiest thing to do is just shove your kid in front of a tablet or television when they're being fussy. It makes them happy and it gives you a break for a brief moment. However, a new study says that screen use for toddlers is exceeding the daily recommendations in the US and Canada.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and was published in "JAMA Pediatrics." They found that the World Health Organization's recommendations for preschoolers' use of screens, both TVs and computers, is being exceeded.

Over two years, 4,000 mothers were surveyed about the screen use of their children between the ages of one and three years old. Researches found that screen use increased by three times from almost 50 minutes to more than 150 minutes in those two years.

"Our results indicate that screen habits begin early. This finding suggests that interventions to reduce screen time could have a better chance of success if introduced early," said Edwina Yeung, Senior Study Author.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under 18 months of age shouldn't even be using screens at all unless it's an interaction with a family member. Those who are 18 months to five years old shouldn't have more than an hour of exposer a day. According to the study, the highest amount of screen time was experienced by children of first-time mothers and kids in home-based childcare facilities.

If these are how low the recommendations are, it's not surprising that most people are going well above with the way that society is nowadays. Could you imagine if you had to limit your kid's watch time of Peppa Pig? I'd wish that upon no one.