The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated their policy on media use for young children. Lead author Dr. Ari Brown, acknowledged that the original policy, issued in 1999, was ciriticized for being unrealistic. Given how much time kids spend with screens today, that critique endures today. So what’s different this time around? Well, not a lot.

Tech and Toddlers

90% of parents report that their children younger than 2 years watch some form of electronic media. This is just one of the statistics in the AAP’s report that speaks to how important this issue has become over the past few years. Accordingly, there is a strong emphasis on babies and toddlers in this report. Ultimately, the AAP has reaffirmed their previous position which discourages media use for children younger than 2 years old. So, what are the problems with screen time for children this young?

But it’s educational!

The AAP news release cautions parents to be wary of the educational claims that companies make about their products for young children. “Quality programs are educational for children only if they understand the content and context of the video,” the release states, adding that this is frequently the case with children over 2 years old. Children under 2 years of age have difficulty understanding the context of what they are watching.

The AAP suggests that there are much better ways for children to learn about the world around them, without the use of screen media. While the statistics on media use and young children suggest parents don’t necessarily share that view, the AAP is trying to get the message out that screens ≠learning, particularly when it comes to kids under 2.

In the Real World

Some of the main criticisms of the AAP’s guidelines are that they do not reflect the reality that parents are using these devices, sometimes as digital pacifiers, nearly every day with infants and toddlers. The AAP’s position is that children this young learn best from the real world, and there are scientific studies to back that up.

Media Still Matters!

While there is still some uncertainty about the long-term effects of engaging children with digital media at such a young age, there is also lots of evidence that preschoolers and older children can seriously benefit from quality educational programming. Sesame Street, for example, has made a huge impact on school readiness among 3-5 year olds, particularly for kids from low-income families, who tend to have fewer books in the home and are spoken to less frequently than children from higher-income families.

What it Means for Parents

So, as a parent in today’s digital world, what can we learn from studies like the ones mentioned above? How can we make better choices for our children when it comes to media consumption? One thing is clear: while passing your iPhone to your toddler may get you a few quiet minutes to have a shower, cook dinner, or make that important business call, it probably won’t make your child the next Steve Jobs.

Will it harm them? There is still a lot of research necessary to say for sure, but we do know that more time with television and other digital devices is associated with some negative effects, such as sleep disturbances and attention problems. Whether there are other factors at play in these correlations will become clear as more research is carried out, but we can be sure that when it comes to helping babies and toddlers learn, the real world trumps the virtual one every time.