AAP: Screen for Screen Time at Well-Child Visits

By Kelly Young

In a new policy statement in Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that clinicians ask two questions regarding media use during well-child visits:

• How much recreational screen time does your child or teenager have every day?

• Does your child have a television or an internet-connected device (e.g., iPad, computer, cell phone) in his or her bedroom?

Pediatricians should recommend that parents limit children's screen time to 2 hours a day or less, while children under age 2 years should be discouraged from having any screen time. Children should not have TVs or internet-connected devices in their bedrooms. Pediatricians should also remind parents to monitor their children's online activities and television programming.