Is Too Much Screen Time Limiting Your Young Child’s Future Academic Achievement?

Screen usage is a common part of modern life. Individuals use screens to communicate, work, learn, entertain, and manage daily tasks. Because screens are so integrated into everyday routines, screen use can gradually (and easily) exceed recommended limits. Consequently, too much screen use can negatively affect one’s health and well-being and a child’s development.

A recent study of children in Ontario, Canada, highlights the impact excessive screen use can have on a child’s development. From 2008 to 2023, a group of parents with young children was asked to report on their child’s screen-time usage. The study found that higher levels of screen-time use in early childhood (ages 5-7) were associated with lower reading and math scores for children in grades 3 and 6 (Li et al., 2025). The study also found that each additional hour of total screen time was associated with a lower likelihood that a child would achieve higher academic levels in grade 3 reading, grade 3 math, and grade 6 math (Li et al., 2025). In addition, when children who are preschool age, or even younger, engage in screen use that exceeds recommendations (see below for specific information), this practice could interfere with their pre-reading and early learning-skills development. This may occur because screen use can impede and reduce the time children spend in activities such as reading, conversation, and play that can help prepare them for school success (McArthur et al., 2021).

Excessive screen-time usage has also been associated with the following issues in children (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2025):

  • Sleep problems;
  • Weight concerns;
  • Difficulty regulating emotions;
  • Less time spent with friends or family;
  • Poor self-image and body image concerns; and
  • Fewer opportunities to learn healthy ways to relax and have fun.

Screen Time Guidelines for Children

To support healthy, age-appropriate screen use for your child, consider adhering to the following screen time recommendations from the 5210 Healthy Children campaign and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry:

  • Until 18 months of age, your child should not engage in screen use with the exception of video chatting alongside an adult (e.g., sitting with a caregiver to visit with a parent who is out of town).
  • Children who are 18 to 24 months old should only engage in screen time to watch educational programming with a caregiver.
  • For children ages 2 to 5 years, you should limit their non-educational screen time to about 1 hour per weekday and 2 hours on the weekend days.
  • For children ages 6 and older, you should limit their non-educational screen time to 2 hours a day.
  • Turn off all screens during family meals and outings.
  • Learn about and use parental controls on your child’s devices.
  • Avoid using screens as pacifiers or babysitters or to stop tantrums.
  • Turn off screens, and remove them from bedrooms 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime.

Screen-Free Activities for Children and Families

So, what can your child do instead of spending time in front of the television, computer, tablet, or phone? Foster healthy leisure habits by encouraging your child to engage in activities that do not include screens. Brainstorm screen-free activities with your child, and consider participating in some of the suggestions listed below.

Outdoor Activities

Spending time outside supports physical and mental health and gives your child opportunities to explore and move.

  • Walk in your neighborhood or in nature—and bring your dog, if you have one
  • Bike or ride a scooter
  • Hike or explore local trails
  • Play outdoor games or sports like soccer, tag, catch, or kickball
  • Participate in an item-specific scavenger hunt or photo scavenger hunt
  • Picnic at a park or in the yard
  • Shoot hoops
  • Run or participate in relay races
  • Skateboard, roller skate, or rollerblade
  • Dig or help in the garden
  • Draw with sidewalk chalk
  • Play in the sprinkler, or participate in other water play, such as a water table
  • Fly a kite
  • Build a nature collection with items such as leaves, rocks, or sticks
  • Create an obstacle course using cones, sticks, or playground equipment
  • Feed the birds
  • Watch the clouds or stargaze

Indoor Family Activities

Engaging in indoor activities can encourage connection and conversation and can serve as fun alternatives on poor-weather days.

  • Play board games or card games
  • Read books together
  • Play or listen to music together
  • Have a family dance party
  • Bake or cook a recipe together
  • Play hide-and-seek
  • Create an indoor obstacle course
  • Take turns sharing stories or family memories
  • Play trivia games, or create your own “would you rather” questions
  • Host a family talent show or karaoke night

Building Activities

Participating in building activities can strengthen your child’s creativity and problem-solving skills.

  • Build forts with cushions or blankets
  • Create with LEGOs or other brick-building toys
  • Use magnetic tiles
  • Make cardboard box creations
  • Construct model airplanes, or build other items using step-by-step kits
  • Set up marble runs or domino chains
  • Design and build a tower or bridge out of materials like paper, toothpicks, or popsicle sticks

Physical Activities

Taking part in different types of physical movement can help your child release energy and improve his or her focus and mood.

  • Jump rope or hula hoop
  • Do yoga or stretching exercises
  • Try jumping jacks or simple exercise circuits
  • Dance freely around the room, or make up steps to a song, like your own line dance
  • Hit a balloon back and forth with a partner
  • Take turns playing an active version of games like Simon Says or Follow-the-Leader
  • Participate in a family fitness challenge

Quiet-Time Activities

Engaging in quiet activities can help your child relax and recharge and may serve as an alternative to naptime for a child who is transitioning out of midday sleep routines.

  • Read books and magazines
  • Listen to child-friendly audiobooks or podcasts
  • Build a puzzle
  • Play board games or card games
  • Use crayons, colored pencils, or markers with coloring books
  • Journal or draw quietly
  • Complete word searches or crosswords
  • Knit or crochet or try other simple hand crafts

Educational Activities

Offering educational activities can encourage your child’s curiosity and exploration and can help your child develop or strengthen academic skills.

  • Conduct a science experiment
  • Complete activity books or workbooks
  • Learn and perform a magic trick
  • Practice handwriting or creative writing
  • Play geography games, or explore maps
  • Learn a few words in a new language
  • Research a topic using books or other printed materials

Imaginative Play

Participating in imaginative play can help your child practice social skills and explore his or her creativity.

  • Perform a puppet show
  • Play dress-up with clothing, shoes, accessories, and/or make-up
  • Act out scenes or plays
  • Create using playdough or clay
  • Pretend play restaurant, school, or store
  • Build and play in a pretend world using props like dolls, action figures, or cars

Creative Arts

Engaging in creative activities can help children experience a sense of accomplishment and self-expression.

  • Draw, sketch, or paint
  • Create jewelry or bead crafts
  • Make a collage using stickers or pictures cut out of a magazine
  • Write a card or letter to a friend or family member
  • Create a family scrapbook, photo album, or travel journal
  • Design and send greeting cards
  • Decorate picture frames or small boxes

Life Skill Activities

Participating in life-skill activities can help your child build his or her independence and confidence and may offer opportunities for parent-child interaction when the activity is completed together.

  • Learn a new household chore
  • Bake or cook simple meals
  • Garden or water plants
  • Fold laundry or organize a drawer
  • Plan a simple meal or snack
  • Learn basic first aid or safety skills

Volunteering/Helping Others

Helping others can build your child’s empathy, responsibility, and purpose and can connect you and your child to your community.

  • Make a care package
  • Pick up trash in the neighborhood
  • Clean out closets or toy bins, and donate items
  • Visit or write notes to neighbors, seniors, or community helpers
  • Help a sibling or younger child with a task
  • Bake or make a sweet treat to share with others
  • Offer to care for or walk a neighbor’s pet
  • Do a random act of kindness

References

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2025, June). Screen time and children. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-And-Watching-TV-054.aspx

Burcham, C. (n.d.). Alternatives to screen time. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. https://publish.illinois.edu/smartfamilies/resources/alternatives-to-screen-times/

Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State. (n.d.). 5210: Helping families lead healthier lives. https://5210.psu.edu/

Li, X., Keown-Stoneman, C., Omand, J., Cost, K., Gallagher-Mackay, K., Hove, J., Janus, M., Korczak, D., Pullenayegum, E., Tsujimoto, K., Vanderloo, L., Maguire, J., & Birken, C. (2025). Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school. JAMA Network Open. 8(10).  https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.37092

McArthur, B. A., Browne, D., McDonald, S., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2021). Longitudinal associations between screen use and reading in preschool-aged children. Pediatrics.147(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-011429

The Hospital for Sick Children. (2025, October 10). Higher screen exposure in early years tied to weaker academic achievement. News Medical. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251010/Higher-screen-exposure-in-early-years-tied-to-weaker-academic-achievement.aspx?

How Parents and Youth Experience Stress in Today’s World

Being a parent and raising children in today’s society is different than the experience your parents had when they raised you. Today’s world may feel faster paced and more interconnected. Parents face growing pressures to help their children navigate social media, academic demands, and rising concerns about mental health. Research from the Child Mind Institute’s 2025 Study Report Navigating Mental Health Intergenerational Perspective suggests that parental concerns about raising children in today’s world are well founded. By analyzing responses from 1,000 parent–youth pairs (i.e., youth ages 11 to 22), the study explores how families understand and experience mental health (Child Mind Institute, 2025). In fact, this study found that parents’ ideas and youths’ ideas align regarding the biggest threats to adolescent well-being—loneliness, social isolation, bullying, and academic pressure (Child Mind Institute, 2025). This shared perspective matters: it confirms that parents are not overreacting, and youth are experiencing real, observable stressors.

The study also highlights encouraging progress. Most parents and young people report feeling they “know some” or “know a lot” about mental health, and these responses reflect a growing awareness and openness between parents and children, especially compared with past generations (Child Mind Institute, 2025). At the same time, gaps in understanding mental health remain. About one in eight parents believes that mental health disorders only affect adults; a misconception that appears more frequently among older parents (Child Mind Institute, 2025). Findings like this highlight the importance of providing ongoing education to help parents better understand mental health and learn how to identify and address concerns early.

While parents and youth agree on many core issues, the study reveals important differences in how parents and youth experience stress. Adolescents, especially older teens, report worrying about a wider range of challenges than parents often recognize, including social media pressures, online interactions, and peer or romantic relationships (Child Mind Institute, 2025). These concerns may be less visible to adults but are deeply impactful in young people’s daily lives. The study also suggests that parents are experiencing significant stress and emotional strain connected to raising teens. Parents often worry about their ability to support their children’s well-being while balancing their work, family demands, and their own emotional needs (Child Mind Institute, 2025). Supporting parent and teen mental health begins with connection. Parents may want to engage in consistent check-ins and honest conversations about stress and demonstrate a willingness to truly listen and consider options to alleviate stress for parents and youth. Parents may also consider their own well-being because when they model self-care, they strengthen themselves and create a foundation their children can rely on during challenging years.

Barriers to mental healthcare can also look different from perspective to perspective. Parents tend to focus on practical obstacles such as cost, quality, and access to services. Children emphasize emotional barriers, particularly stigma and the lack of youth-friendly support (Child Mind Institute, 2025). As a result, even when parents secure resources, children may hesitate to use those resources if they fear judgment or feel misunderstood.

Despite these differences, the study delivers a hopeful message: parents and children largely share the same values and attitudes regarding mental health (Child Mind Institute, 2025). This common ground offers a powerful opportunity for connection. Parents can deepen this connection by creating consistent, judgment-free spaces in which to have conversations about stress, friendships, and emotions. Making these discussions part of everyday life, rather than reserving them for moments of crisis, can help children feel secure and encourage them to open up (Child Mind Institute, 2025). Parents should also recognize that today’s stressors, particularly those tied to the digital world, may be very different from the stressors they faced growing up. In addition, parents should validate their children’s experiences, even when they are unfamiliar, to strengthen trust and the parent-child relationship.

Parents can further support their children by normalizing mental healthcare, modeling healthy coping strategies when appropriate, and reinforcing that help-seeking is a sign of strength and not weakness. Furthermore, paying attention to the gap between what adults observe and what children may be feeling internally is crucial as young people may hide their struggles due to fear of stigma (Child Mind Institute, 2025). Engaging in regular check-ins, formal and informal, can make a meaningful difference. In addition, supporting youth mental health is not solely a family responsibility, and schools, communities, and accessible healthcare systems can play essential roles in creating environments where children can thrive (Child Mind Institute, 2025). Parents should stay connected with the other adults in their children’s lives (e.g., teachers, counselors, coaches) and advocate for support for their children as necessary.

Navigating youth mental health can be difficult, but families do not need to face these circumstances alone, and many tools are available to help them address challenges. This study shows that, despite rapid social and technological change, parents and children often understand each other’s concerns better than they realize (Child Mind Institute, 2025). That shared understanding is a strong starting point for deeper connection, honest dialogue, and effective support. When parents commit to listening, learning, and providing support consistently, they can play a powerful role in helping their children manage stress, build resilience, and grow in an increasingly complex world.

References

Child Mind Institute. (2025, October 7). Navigating mental health. https://childmind.org/education/childrens-mental-health-report/2025-study/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=science&utm_campaign=msf-report-2025-10-07&utm_content=msf-2025-study