Screen time: checklist for healthy use

For children over age 3, screen time and screen use can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Make sure preschoolers balance screen time with other activities, and use quality digital media. Get answers to your questions about screen time.

Screen time and screen use: part of a healthy lifestyle

Screen time is never advised for children under age two (except video chats with family), and limited time across the early childhood years. For preschool children, it is possible for some screen time and screen use to be a normal part of life.

It’s all about making sure of two things:

Young children's routines emphasize lots of healthy, fun activities, including physical activity, reading, creative play and social time with family and friends.
When children do use screens, they watch or use quality content.

And don’t forget sleep! A healthy, balanced lifestyle for children includes enough good-quality sleep.

Checklist for a healthy approach to screen time

These questions can help you check whether your preschool-aged child is using screens in a balanced and healthy way.

Is your child:

sleeping enough?
physically healthy?
engaged with child care or school?
connecting socially with family and friends, online and offline?
enjoying a variety of interests?
having fun and learning while using screens?
using quality content?

If you answer yes to most or all of these questions, your child is probably using screens in a balanced way as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Questions or concerns about screen time

It’s important to have questions or concerns about whether your family has a healthy and balanced approach to screen time. Some articles in this app, and other resources, may help with these concerns. Most important is to notice your child's development, emotional state, and breadth of interests, and react to those thoughtfully.