Effects of Screen Time on Kids in 2025: What Parents Can Do

Does your child resist putting down their phone or tablet when it’s time to read a book, ride a bike, or play outside with friends? You’re not alone, many parents find it hard to get kids off screens and involved in offline activities.

The truth is, screens are not completely harmful, and letting your child use them does not mean you are a careless parent. Today, it’s less about screen use time and more about understanding how and when those screens are used. The goal shouldn’t banning tech, but finding a balance that works in today’s digital world.

People around the world spend about 6 hours and 40 minutes daily looking at screens. In the US, it’s about 7 hours, and in South Africa, around 9 hours. About 90% of kids watch TV, 68% use tablets, and 60% have smartphones globally. Screen time goes up as kids get older. Only 8 to 10% of toddlers play games on devices, but that jumps to 70% for kids aged 10 to 12.

Using screens isn’t always a problem. Screens are part of everyday life and can be useful if used the right way. Parents often worry about their children’s health, focus, social skills, time spent outside, behavior, and overall growth.

The main reasons for high screen time include easy access to devices, kids starting young, parents not knowing how much time or what content their kids see, busy parents not monitoring screen use, parents’ own screen habits, addictive content, and using screens to calm kids down.

Parents can help by starting rules early, setting screen time limits, choosing educational content, avoiding screens before bedtime, encouraging outdoor activities, and cutting down on background TV noise.

Understanding Screen Time: What Does It Mean Today?

Screen time means you or your child spend how much time using electronic screens like phones, tablet, TVs, computers and on gaming. Screen time is actually a mix of multiple things like watching, playing, video-chatting and learning, rather than a single activity, so type of use as well as duration both matter.

Main factors in using screen to consider are:

• Why and What – kids are using on screens (either educational apps or passive scrolling)
• Who – they are with while using screen (co-viewing with a parent helps learning)
• When – they are using screen (evening use often not good for sleep)

Experts now recommend focusing less on a single daily limit and more on quality, context, and routines for example choose high-quality content, encourage shared viewing or play, care about quality sleep, no screens before bed, and make room for offline activities like play and reading.

Science behind Screen Addiction in Children

Children are young brains, they became more attracted to screens due to persuasive features designs of visuals, games and apps which activate the brain’s dopamine driven reward system, creating a craving and may compensate similar to gambling.

Children are very sensitive to screen addiction because of their continue brain development till 20s of age, psychological design techniques of visuals, apps and games, and social influences like screen use pattern of friends and family members.

Too much screen exposure can also affect face-to-face interactions that foster language, emotional bonding, and cognitive growth. If parents are stuck on their own phones, or when screens replace verbal engagement, children may experience delays in vocabulary, problem-solving, and self-regulation. This can manifest as behavioural issues, emotional outbursts, and reduced readiness for school.

Social and psychological factors further fuel the attraction—children often turn to screens for entertainment, social connection, or as a coping mechanism during stress, with peer influence amplifying usage. Kids who have learning or development problems or ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder), or who find it hard to control their actions can get hooked on screens more easily. It’s not only because of the screens themselves but it’s also due to how their surroundings and their own habits work together.

What’s Actually Harmful Today?

Higher passive or entertaining screen time affects adversely on your child physiologically and mentally. When your child is habitual of excessive screen time, it causes many problems like change in body posture, poor physical and mental development, sleep disturbances, irritability, disobeying to parents, isolated from family and friends, low study progress.

Mental Health Effects 

High use of screen devices can make your child habitual, dependent of it and socially isolated. Studies suggest that excessive and problematic use of mobile screen for example for social media can cause anxiety, depression, mood swing and psychological distress. These conditions can lead your child towards physical and mental health as well as social issues.

Sleep Disruption

Sleep and consistent bedtime routines are important for your child’s brain restoration and to function optimally, the excessive screen time use interferes child’s sleep routine badly. Our body’s has many regulated systems which run our body naturally. One of these is Sleep and awakening cycle also known as circadian system or clock which is made in such a way that at night we feel to go for sleep and in day we wake-up automatically to work. This system cause to increase melatonin (a hormone cause sleep) production at night and reduce melatonin production in morning. Some studies show that light emitted from screens, also known as blue light of short wavelength, affects negatively on circadian clock and suppress melatonin production in night and causes delay in sleep.

Another factor is checking notifications and late night scrolling causes shorting of sleep or breaking of sleep cycle which affects the sleep quality and mental health.

Attention & Focus Problems

 Experts say that watching short videos or reels continuously and constant scrolling results in excessive release of dopamine, triggering the brains reward system for time being and over time it causes dopamine overload and damage brain matter, which can lowers attention and self-control, affects memory and social skills. Content fatigue caused by too much media information stored in brain can cause stress and reduce focus.

Delayed Social Skills

Increased screen time have effects on children behaviour and maintaining discipline in classroom, interactions with teachers and peers and impairs their social and cognitive development. Parents also worried about their child’s screen time habits and poor communication. Some studies found that screen used to calm tantrums of child or as pacifier may cause backfire and make your child habitual of higher screen time. The increased screen time could result in mood swing, anger, frustration and long-term emotional and behavioural issues.

Physical Health Concerns 

Recent research studies found that higher screen time and poor quality sleep due to screen use in kids increasing the risk of cardiac and metabolic diseases, obesity, diabetes due to insulin resistance and impaired cholesterol profile. Continuous use of phone and laptop by children also worsen the body posture, specially bending neck and upper back, causing pain in neck, back and one arm or hand which is continuously used. Some studies show that children with continue use of screen may develop breathing issues and asthma or cough.

Many experts noticed screen time effects on eyes like blurred vision, eye strains, dry eyes, headaches and impaired eyesight.

Signs Your Child’s Screen Time Might Be Harmful

Increased irritability after screen time: Excessive exposure to screen especially fast-paced digital content which can lead to emotional overstimulation and irritability when screens are removed

Withdrawing from real-world activities: Heavy screen users often disengage from hobbies, social interaction, or in-person play, missing opportunities for emotional and social development

Trouble sleeping: Screen use, particularly before bed, disrupts melatonin production and circadian rhythms, causing delayed, poor-quality, or insufficient sleep which in turn leads to mood swings and attention problems

Headaches or dry eyes: Long screen sessions can cause eye strain, dryness, light sensitivity, and headaches due to prolonged focus and blue light exposure

Loss of interest in hobbies: When screens dominate daily time, children may lose interest in previously enjoyed activities contributing to decreased physical activity and emotional balance.

Sneaky screen behavior (lying, hiding usage): Excessive or compulsive screen use can cause children to hide their habits or become defensive—especially if they use screens to self-soothe or escape stress

Solutions for Parents: What You Can Do

Talk About the Why, Not Just the Rule

Try to convey your child with logics, children are more likely to follow rules when they understand the reasoning, for example explaining how blue light affects sleep or how constant scrolling affects mood makes limits feel fair, not arbitrary.

Model Healthy Screen Use

Children mimic parental tech habits, when parents use phones moderately and prioritize face-to-face interaction, kids show better self-regulation and less compulsive use.

Avoid Using Screens as a Pacifier for Tantrums

Experts warn to use phones to calm crying child or tantrums. While it may work in the moment, but it can prevent children from learning to manage emotions on their own and may lead to greater dependence on devices for comfort in future.

Use Screen Time as a Reward, Not a Right

When children get screen time only after finishing homework, chores, or showing good behavior, they learn to see it as a reward instead of a habit. This approach helps them practice self-control, value their screen time more, and use it with a purpose rather than out of routine.

Encourage Screen Alternatives

WHO guidelines recommend regular non-screen play for brain and motor development. Puzzles, crafts, sports, and reading increases creativity and reduces the sticky screens habit, especially during boredom.

Set Clear, Consistent Limits (Without Power Struggles)

Make consistent schedules and boundaries like daily time caps, device timers, and “tech-free zones” at meals or bedtime, this reduce screen overuse and sleep disruption and help kids know what to expect, lowering arguments.

Introduce Tech Breaks or Digital Detox Days

Make plans of “no-screen” periods (weekend challenges, nature days, or mealtime bans), it reduce dependency, improve mood, and increase family connection. Apps like “Focus Mode” can help enforce breaks.

Overcome through Lifestyle Change

Research show that lifestyle changes like planning daily routine, setting clear goals and giving feedbacks help to create long term habits for example controlling parent’s themselves screen use habits, avoiding screen during meals and keeping screen devices out of bedrooms may significantly reduce screen time. Adopting some other lifestyle steps may also be very helpful such as replacing screen with effective alternatives like encouraging kids for outdoor play, creative hobbies and social activities like board games and reading in groups.

Practical Tips for Parents to Manage Screen Time

Model balanced screen habits — Make healthy tech use habit for yourself so kids naturally follow positive behaviors.

Set clear, consistent rules — Use a written family media plan with well-disciplined way but fair limits everyone understands.

Designate screen-free zones/times — Keep devices out of bedrooms, mealtimes, and before go to sleep.

Offer rewarding offline alternatives — Encourage outdoor play, hobbies, sports, or creative projects to replace passive screen use.

Collaborate and Discuss with kids — Involve children in making schedules so they feel ownership and less resistance.

Use technology to help, not to do all the work — Use parental controls and timers as support, but keep guiding your child yourself.

Engage and educate — Regularly discuss online content, safety, and critical thinking to build digital literacy.

Recommended Screen Time according to Age

When you compare recommended screen time by age as suggested by different reliable organizations like WHO, American Academy of Paediatrics with your kids actually using screen time you may got surprised, your child might be using screen for 2 – 3 times more than recommended time.

Maximum Screen Time Recommendations for Age Groups

Infants (0-18 months): No screen time or 0 Minutes, Except for video chatting with family and friends

Toddlers (18-24 months): Less than 1 hour of screen time per day, with a focus on high-quality educational content and co-viewing with parents

Pre-schoolers (2-5 years): Up to 1 hour of screen time per weekday and up to 3 hours on weekend days, with an emphasis on educational content and co-viewing with parents

School-age children (6-12 years): 1-2 hours of screen time per day, Recreational screen time, with prioritizing on physical activity, sleep, and other activities

Teenagers (13-18 years): 2 hours or less of screen time per day, Recreational screen time, with a focus on balancing screen time with physical activity, sleep, and other activities

Adults (Above 18 years): Up to 3 hours of screen time per day, Recreational screen time, along with physical activity, quality sleep, and avoid long sitting as much as possible.

Tools & Resources Parents Can Use

Recommended Apps

• Family Link – Free Google app to set daily limits, approve downloads, and track devices.
• Bark – Monitors messages, social media, and web use; sends alerts for risky content.
• OurPact – Blocks/schedules apps, tracks location; strong iOS support.
• Forest – Helps kids focus by “growing” virtual trees while devices are unused.

Screen-Time Contracts
Create a written family tech agreement outlining when, where, and how devices are used, plus rewards for good habits and consequences for rule-breaking.

Books & Podcasts

• Books:
  • iGen – Jean Twenge’s research on how smartphones shape teen behavior and mental health.
  • Screenwise – Devorah Heitner’s guide for helping kids develop healthy tech habits.
  • Raising Humans in a Digital World – Diana Graber’s strategies for teaching digital citizenship and empathy.
• Podcasts:
  • Screenagers Podcast – Practical tips and expert advice on parenting in the digital age.
  • Digital Mindfulness – Insights on using technology with intention and balance.
  • ADDitude – Focused on managing screen use for kids with ADHD and related challenges.

Professional Help

• Pediatricians – Can identify if screen habits affect physical health or sleep.
• Child Psychologists/Therapists – Help address emotional or behavioral issues linked to tech overuse.
• Digital Wellness Coaches – Offer tailored plans and family strategies for balanced tech use.
• Child Psychiatrists – Assess and treat severe mental health concerns worsened by screen exposure.

Final Thoughts: It’s About Progress, Not Perfection

Experts advice that it is not important to make rigid time limits for your kids but how screen are used matters more. Meaningful use for example learning, co-viewing on screen is less harmful than passive use. Doing abrupt screens off before bed will be overwhelming, simply reducing time 10-20 minutes per week will be helpful.

Every family has different lifestyle so they use screen for different purpose like some families use for education, others for entertainment while some use for childcare help. Families should prioritize on quality not quantity, means for how much time your child using screen is less important than what kids are doing on screen, what type content they are viewing and to whom they are interacting or engaging.

Tech tools and screens are not inherently bad, if use correctly they offer educational benefits, social connections and creative engagement. Parents can set the way for their kids how to use screen thoughtfully like consisting co-viewing, open conversations about screen use, and modelling healthy habits help support balanced screen habits in kids.