American Academy Of Pediatrics Releases New Guidelines On Kids' Screen Time

The American Academy of Pediatrics just released new guidelines on how much time kids should be spending in front of a screen.

Experts said children under 18 months should avoid all screen time except video chatting.

They recommend limiting children ages 2 to 5-years-old to one hour of media per day. 

And children 6 and older should have consistent limits on how much media they get.

"We want to make sure that entertainment screen time is not displacing physical activity, it's not displacing family meals, the kids are still getting adequate amounts of sleep," said Dr. Corinn Cross, American Academy of Pediatrics. 

They also recommend co-viewing video content with your kids so you can reinforce what they're learning.

For more than 15 years, The American Academy of Pediatrics has said children under two should use no media at all. Now the group is out with new recommendations that said parents of children 18 to 24 months who want to introduce digital media should be sure to choose high-quality educational programming. 

"What you really want to make sure you are doing is co-viewing with them so that you are narrating what's going on, re-teaching what they're learning and if they are doing any sort of app; co-playing," Cross said. "We want to make sure that entertainment screen time is not displacing physical activity, it's not displacing family meals, the kids are still getting adequate amounts of sleep."

Sarah Osborne limits how much time her girls spend in front of screens, especially her 19-month-old. 

Osborne restricts her girls' time in front of the TV and tablet. 

"I also would like them doing other things like being outside playing with their friends, being creative," Osborne said. 

The group recommends families develop a plan to help keep kids' screen time habits on track.