Parents have been increasingly skeptical about the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) strict screen time policy for children believing that it isn’t reflective of 21st century media culture. In October, the AAP finally updated its policy.
MedVoice PR’s client Dr. Ari Brown of 411 Pediatrics was on the ground at the AAP Conference when the new policy was issued. We connected her to local media to detail the changes from the conference floor.
The Austin American-Statesman outlined the new policy:
· Children younger than 18 months of age: Avoid the use of any screen media except video chatting (with grandparents, for example).
· Children ages 18 months to 24 months: Introduce high-quality programs or apps, but do it with your children to create a dialog about what they are seeing and how it relates to the world around them.
· Children ages 2 to 5 years: Limit screen time to one hour a day of high-quality programs that you view with your children.
· Children ages six and older, place consistent limits on time spent using media, the types of media and make sure that the use of media does not take the place of sleeping, exercise and other healthy behaviors.
· Designate media-free times together such as during dinner or while driving as well as media-free locations at home such as bedrooms.
Read the full article here.