Let’s talk more about co-viewing. For children between 1.5 to 2 years old, screen time is not recommended except when caregivers watch the show together with the child. During the show, adults can find opportunities to talk about what they are watching (e.g. pointing out animals that the child saw in real life at the zoo) or to teach important social skills (e.g. what we can do if someone falls down and gets hurt). Simply put, screen time is okay if it is used as a medium for interactions, communication and for teaching something. Co-viewing is not limited to this age group, you can continue to co-view shows even with your teenager!
For slightly older children between 2 to 5 years old, screen time should be limited to 1 hour per day. Do check that the shows are age-appropriate before allowing your child to watch them. Some shows may be teaching values or behaviours that you’ll not agree with!
Screen time is not recommended for children below 1.5 years old, except to chat with an adult (e.g. Facetime call with Daddy who is overseas).
Why are we so concerned about screen time? It’s because excessive screen time is associated with a lot of effects such as speech & language delay, poorer learning outcomes, attention difficulties, “behaviours” (e.g. tantrums), and poorer sleep quality. In our current society, it is near-impossible to avoid screens entirely. And using screen time to give you those precious minutes to quickly have your lunch or complete an important chore certainly will not make you a “bad parent”. But, we can certainly try to limit excessive passive screen time. After all, those are precious hours that can be directed towards developing important skills.