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Screens before age 2

Whether babies and toddlers under two see screens at all, such as video calls only, occasional shared viewing, or screens as part of the day.

Should babies and toddlers have any screen time before age 2?

In short: Parents choose between 4 main approaches: None (WHO); Video calls only (CPS); Occasional co-viewed content from about 18 months; An ordinary part of the day. Evidence: evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational. Best settled: 0–6 months.

Evidence
Evidence leans one way
Best settled
0–6 months
Part of
Learning & the wider world

Screens before age 2: what are the options?

Parents usually land on one of these 4 approaches.

  1. 1. None (WHO)

    The child sees no screens, as the World Health Organization advises.

  2. 2. Video calls only (CPS)

    The child uses screens only to video-call family, as the Canadian Paediatric Society allows.

  3. 3. Occasional co-viewed content from about 18 months

    From about 18 months the child sometimes watches something with you beside them.

  4. 4. An ordinary part of the day

    Screens are a regular part of the child's day.

Screens before age 2: what does the evidence say?

Evidence leans one way. Research or guidance points in a direction, but it's thin, small or correlational.

The AAP's current parent pages say under-2s learn best from real-world interaction, advise limiting screens, co-viewing anything they do watch, and note background TV is linked to weaker language and social-emotional skills, but they give no numeric cutoff; the older "none under 18 months except video chat" rule was not found restated on these pages. 82% of US under-2s watch TV

Sources

What else is worth knowing?

Babies learn best from people, not screens. Health bodies advise against screen time before about two, apart from video calls with family. Many families find the advice hard to follow in full.

Questions to ask each other

  • What do we want screens to look like for a baby?
  • How will we handle relatives and caregivers who use them?
  • What about video calls with family?

More in Screens, phones and digital life

First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.