Only 27% of Kids Get Less Than 2 Hours of Screen Time a Day

By Kristin J. Kelley

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM

Only a quarter (25%) of American boys aged 12 to 15 years old meet the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to limit daily screen time to 2 hours or less, the CDC reports. American girls don't fare much better: only 29% met the suggested limit.

The estimates — culled from data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012 and published in a National Center for Health Statistics data brief — include watching television, playing video games and using the computer and don't count usage during the school day.

Patterns of TV watching and computer use varied according to race, Hispanic origin, and weight.