In digital age, Texas experts stress content over time limits on kids’ screens

In the digital world, screen time is almost unavoidable for children. Experts have tips for how parents can navigate the content their children are consuming and the amount of time they’re consuming it.

Screens should be avoided for infants and toddlers from 18 months to 2 years old unless they’re video chatting with a family member to facilitate a connection, according to Texas clinicians. But when children grow older, they eventually become exposed to media at home or at school for both education and entertainment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends families create their own media plan to navigate this and to use the “5 Cs”, which is based on the child, the content, ways to calm down, what media is crowding out and ongoing communication.

“What are your child’s strengths? What content are they exposed to? Are we using this as a calming mechanism? Are we crowding out other opportunities for growth with the digital ecosystem? And is it being used in a way that is going for or against communication in the parent-caregiver relationship?” explained Dr. Liz May, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics.

May reiterated the importance of the content itself and how time boundaries will look different for each family depending on their children’s ages. Toddlers and preschoolers between ages 2 and 5 are recommended to limit screen time to one hour per day of quality programming, according to clinicians. At age 6 and older, emphasis is placed on what they’re doing on the screen, which should be monitored by parents, according to Dr. Nicholas Westers, a clinical psychologist with Children’s Health and an associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

High-quality, educational media can have positive impacts on children, while low-quality content can have the opposite effect. May and Westers encourage parents to avoid showing violent or discriminatory content to their children.

“Research indicates that excessive or inappropriate use of digital media can impede language development. Conversely, high-quality educational content, when used appropriately, can support language acquisition and vocabulary growth,” according to a May 2025 article published by the AAP.

Parents are advised to watch digital programs with their child and talk about what’s happening with them. This avoids an otherwise passive experience that lacks interaction. Both Texas clinicians also recommend parents model the same habits they’re trying to instill in their children, such as banning phones during dinner time.

Westers suggests parents focus on what they’re protecting rather than what they’re taking away. For example, protecting sleep by turning off screens an hour before bedtime reframes the boundaries limiting digital exposure.

“Whatever time that they’re spending on these screens, tablets or TV — What is it they’re not doing?” Westers said. “Usually, they’re not playing with their toys. They’re not moving around, being active… They’re not socializing or interacting with others, and they’re not reading out loud.”

It’s important to avoid using screens to help soothe your child when they’re overwhelmed or emotional, according to May and Westers. This prevents the child from learning how to regulate their emotions and can send an indirect message that their caregiver is unable to hold space for those emotions. May notes an overreliance on screens also increases the risk of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self harm and a sedentary lifestyle.

May wants parents to know she understands the guilt that can come with screen time and the fast pace of life, but it’s important to remember screens are deeply ingrained into society beyond child-caregiver relationships.

“(I) encourage parents to do the best they can with the resources that they have, and their visual media plan or family plan may look different than another, and that’s OK,” May said. “These are things that are far larger beyond just the family unit. I encourage them to talk to their pediatrician if they’re struggling with screen time or things they’re worried could be related to screen time,” May said.