How Much Screen Time Do Kids Under Eight Get?

Bruce Reed says screen time for the youngest kids runs from about an hour a day under age two to two hours a day at ages three and four, then three and a half hours for kids between five and eight. Across ages zero to eight, time on digital devices averages two and a half hours a day.

A Common Sense census of kids zero to eight found that 40% of American two-year-olds have a tablet, and the share reaches 60% by age four. One out of four eight-year-olds has a cell phone. Most of the time still goes to TV and videos. Video games are the big change, up about 65% over the past five years.

The hours replace reading a book, making up games, or playing in the dirt. Parents often welcome the break and spend a lot of the same time staring at a phone.