Kids and Gaming Screen Time: What Pediatricians Recommend

The American Academy of Pediatrics dropped its screen time limits in 2016. Here is what it recommends instead, and how to build gaming rules your family will actually follow.

Every parent hears a different number for how much screen time kids should get. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), whose guidance most pediatricians follow, does not publish a universal limit anymore. Since 2016 its advice has focused on what children do on screens and how media fits into the rest of their lives. Here is what that means for a household with young gamers, and how to turn it into rules that hold up.

What the AAP Actually Says About Media Time

The AAP removed its specific screen time limits in 2016 because the evidence does not support one safe number for all children and teens. Kids use screens for school, gaming, video chat and entertainment, so an hour of one activity is not the same as an hour of another. Instead of counting hours, the AAP recommends looking at the quality of what children do and whether it supports healthy development.

One finding is worth acting on: household rules focused on balance, content, co-viewing and communication are associated with better well-being outcomes than rules focused purely on time. For context, AAP materials note that children spend an average of seven hours a day on entertainment media, so most families still need structure. The question is what kind.

Why Gaming Time Is Not Like Watching TV

The term screen time was built around television, which is one reason it does not fit gaming well. Thirty minutes of playing a co-op game with a sibling can feel restorative, while thirty minutes of a frustrating ranked match can leave a kid wound up, even though the clock reads the same.

Games are also designed to keep you playing, and the AAP notes that design features that encourage endless scrolling or play can interfere with sleep, which then affects mood and attention. Research on screen time also often relies on people self-reporting their hours, which is not a reliable measure. A better measure is how your child acts after a session.

Use the AAP’s 5 Cs to Judge Gaming

The AAP’s 5 Cs framework gives families a simple checklist: Child, Content, Calm, Crowding Out and Communication. Applied to gaming:

• Child. Age, temperament and needs matter. The same game can be fine for one kid and too much for another.
• Content. Pick games that fit your child’s age and maturity; the age rating on the box or store page is a good starting point.
• Calm. Does gaming help your child relax, or does it fire them up right before bed?
• Crowding Out. The biggest question: is gaming pushing out sleep, physical activity, schoolwork or time with friends and family?
• Communication. Talk through all of this with your child rather than handing down rules from nowhere.

Pro tip

Involve your child in setting the rules. AAP guidance describes kids as active problem-solvers and stresses listening to them when figuring out limits, which makes those limits more likely to stick.

Setting Rules That Fit Your Child’s Age

For children younger than 2, the AAP recommends limiting screens, co-viewing anything they do watch and making sure screens do not replace play time. Video chat with relatives is the AAP’s example of useful screen time at this age.

For older children there is no official hour count, but the AAP does suggest establishing boundaries and balance early, before habits harden. A few patterns that work:

• Set limits on specific activities, like one game or one mode, rather than a blanket daily number. The AAP notes this can be more useful than a general cap.
• Model your own boundaries, since how parents use media shapes how kids use it.
• Use the tools built into consoles and PCs to enforce what you agree on. Our walkthrough of parental controls on consoles and PC covers the settings.

Warning Signs It Is Time to Cut Back

The AAP’s clearest advice is to watch whether media use crowds out other important activities: sleep, exercise, schoolwork and meaningful time with friends and family. Warning signs include staying up late to game, dropping other hobbies, mood crashes after sessions or slipping grades. If you are worried about your child’s health or behavior, raise it with your pediatrician, who can look at the whole picture.

Build a Family Media Plan

The AAP recommends that families create a media plan covering the health, education and entertainment needs of each child and the family as a whole, then follow it together and revise it as needed. A gaming-focused plan might include:

• When gaming is allowed on school days and weekends.
• A finish-the-list-first rule for homework and chores.
• Device-free times, such as meals and the hour before bed.
• Agreements on which games are okay and which need a parent’s sign-off.
• What happens when a session runs long, so enforcement is not improvised.

Revisit the plan every few months. As your child grows, the rules should grow with them.

Gaming can sit comfortably alongside sleep, school and play when the plan is clear and shared. If sessions start to sour everyone’s mood, our guide to avoiding gaming burnout has advice on keeping the hobby fun, and our picks for co-op games for two players make gaming time something you share.

Player questions

How much gaming time is safe for my child?
The AAP does not publish a set limit, having removed its screen time numbers in 2016. It recommends judging the quality of media use and whether gaming crowds out sleep, activity, schoolwork and family time.

What are the 5 Cs of media use?
They are Child, Content, Calm, Crowding Out and Communication, a framework the AAP developed to help families build healthier media habits. Applied to gaming, they shift the focus from counting hours to how gaming fits your child’s life.

What is a family media plan?
It is a written agreement the AAP recommends, covering each child’s health, education and entertainment needs. Families follow it together and revise it as children grow.

Should I play games with my child?
The AAP emphasizes co-viewing for younger children, since shared media time lets you explain and discuss what is happening. Playing together can also make communication about limits easier.

Games, platforms and settings change with updates, so check the official help pages for your platform if something looks different.