With the holidays here, many kids are unwrapping new phones, video games, and electronics, but new gadgets can mean new rules for screen time.
As these devices become more accessible, it’s more important to think about how much time kids spend on them.
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Dr. Adam Keating, pediatrician with Cleveland Clinic Children’s, suggests setting limits.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends less than two hours of screen time per day, and I’d say for preschoolers that should be even less,” said Dr. Keating. “As far as cell phones and when kids should get those, I think that ends up being a family decision.”
If you are thinking about giving your child a cellphone, Keating advises setting some ground rules. Consider questions like: How often can my child use a device? Are they allowed to access the internet? Can they use social media?
A 2024 Pew Research Center article found that 96% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 use the internet daily, and 95% of teens have access to a cell phone.
If you are worried about internet and screen time, you might choose a kid-friendly phone or smartwatch with parental controls.
Flip phones are also a good option, offering call and text without internet access.
Keating said he understands why parents want to give their children phones, but warns of the downsides.
“They are showing a significant amount of distraction and decrease in learning, as well as decreasing the ability for kids to have face-to-face interaction where they learn about how to socially interact with each other,” Keating said. “It’s certainly not the only reason why we’re having some of our increases in loneliness, anxiety, and depression among kids, but cell phones are certainly a contributing factor.”
Many school districts are now banning phones during school hours.
Lynchburg Schools are one of the most recent examples of new cell phone policies which will prohibit all personal electronic devices during the school day for all K-12 students starting January 2025.
This follows an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, directing the Virginia Department of Education to develop guidance on removing phones from classrooms throughout the Commonwealth. The final guidance was released in September.
For more details on Lynchburg’s new policies, visit WSLS.
