Not All Screen Time Is a No-No for Infants

For the first time in 15 years, the leading U.S. pediatrics group is rethinking its recommendations on screen time for kids and babies. Though the new guidelines won’t be introduced until the fall of 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a statement saying the group is rethinking its low-tolerance approach. The AAP currently advises against any screen time whatsoever for children under 2 and no more than two hours per day for those 2 and up.

Experts acknowledge that today, 30% of children first play with mobile devices when they’re in diapers. “In a world where ‘screen time’ is becoming simply ‘time,'” the AAP committee writes, “our policies must evolve.” The AAP’s forthcoming guidelines will emphasize the quality of the time kids spend staring at screens–as opposed to just the quantity.

–TANYA BASU