The AAP discourages media use by children younger than 2 years.
Recommendations for Parents
1. The AAP discourages media use by children younger than 2 years.
2. The AAP realizes that media exposure is a reality for many families in
today’s society. If parents choose to
engage their young children with electronic media, they should have concrete
strategies to manage it. Ideally, parents should review the
content of what their child is watching and watch the program with their child.
3. Parents are discouraged from placing a television set in their child’s
bedroom.
4. Parents need to realize that their own media use can have a negative effect
on their children. Television that is intended for adults and is on
with a young child in the room is distracting for both the parent and the child.
5. Unstructured playtime is more valuable for the developing brain than any
electronic media exposure. If a parent is not able to actively
play with a child, that child should have solo playtime with an adult nearby.
Even for infants as young as 4 months of age, solo play allows a child to think
creatively,
problem-solve, and accomplish tasks with minimal parent interaction. The
parent can also learn something in the process of giving the child an
opportunity to entertain himself or herself while remaining nearby.
FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
from pediatrics.aappublications.org October 19, 2011