How young is too young? Apparently, there’s no limit.

Kids in the U.S. aged 8 and under spend an average of 2½ hours daily on screens, with those under 2 often exceeding an hour a day, as noted in a recent study from Common Sense Media. 

These statistics deeply concern Michael Rich, an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. 

Rich is the co-founder and director of the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders at the Harvard-associated Boston Children’s Hospital, where he works with adolescents whose online behaviors negatively affect their health. He considers digital media a significant environmental health concern akin to clean air. 

“We definitely need to be urging the heads of these platforms to improve their offerings, but we must also aid kids in adapting right now,” he stated. “We must teach them how to thrive in the environment we currently have.” 

Here’s how Rich characterizes the impact of screens at various developmental stages:

Ages 0 ‒ 4

Screens not only capture our focus — they alter the architecture of our brains. 

“We are continuously forming synaptic connections among our neurons,” Rich explains. “As we utilize these connections, they become stronger, while others are made and then eliminated because they are less frequently used.”

The Common Sense study revealed that by age 4, over half of children possess their own tablet, and 36 percent of 2- to 4-year-olds watch online videos daily. Rich empathizes with parents, many of whom are juggling multiple responsibilities. However, he emphasized the primary goal: to seek the “most enriching method of fostering brain development.” 

While synaptic connections are created and eliminated throughout our lives, the brains of infants form new connections at a notably quicker pace. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, over a million new neural connections are established every second in the initial few years of life — these neural pathways form the groundwork for future growth. 

When infants and toddlers engage with screens, their brains adapt based on input that is both highly captivating and devoid of richer, more meaningful stimuli, Rich noted, such as the scent of their caregivers or the texture of their skin. 

“The core issue with screen time is often not what is emitted from the screen being harmful, but rather what they are lacking because of their screen engagement.” 

Ages 5 ‒ 12

As time progresses, screens can “desensitize” children to the more basic sensations of the real world. “When they gather around the dinner table and their parents inquire, ‘How was your day?’ it simply isn’t sufficient,” Rich added. 

Rich is also concerned that much of the content children consume on screens demands minimal engagement, presenting a carefully curated array of continuously entertaining material activated by mere touch.

“It doesn’t necessitate their participation,” he remarked. “So the other aspect is ‘I’m going to be supplied with stimulus’ instead of ‘I need to seek out my own stimulus.’ It doesn’t dull creativity; it merely fails to provide creativity the opportunity to flourish.”

By age 8, close to 1 in 4 children own their own phones, according to Common Sense Media, a figure that Rich suggested introduces new and distinct challenges. 

“The cafeteria, the playground, the corridor between classes — these spaces allow kids to express themselves in a society they create, figuring out who they like and dislike, and learning to recover from setbacks,” he noted. “If that child has a phone in their pocket allowing mom to ask, ‘How did you do on the math exam? Should I speak to your teacher? What’s happening on the playground?’ they miss out on having the chance to navigate these situations independently.”

Nonetheless, as state and local authorities consider prohibiting or limiting phones in schools, Rich advocates for a more nuanced strategy. 

“I believe we should actually instruct children on how to utilize these tools, just as we train them to use computers or writing implements,” he emphasized. “If we prohibit phones in schools, we won’t create any opportunity or environment for children to learn how to effectively navigate these powerful tools. A vital component of utilizing them effectively is recognizing when they are not the optimal solution and knowing when to turn them off.”

Ages 13 and older

By the time adolescents enter high school, some possess the social and emotional capabilities to manage their own technology usage. For those who do not, such as the clients at Rich’s clinic, problematic internet behavior is almost universally a sign of an underlying mental health issue or neurodiversity, typically involving depression, social anxiety, autism, or ADHD. Assisting teenagers in moderating their internet usage is primarily about providing them the tools to address those underlying difficulties. 

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Rich warned against perceiving problematic internet usage as an addiction, however. “The therapeutic aim with addiction is abstinence,” he remarked. “The internet is an essential resource. We rely on it for learning, instructing, communicating, and connecting.” Misuse “is motivated by psychological, not physiological, factors,” he stated.

“We consider the more appropriate comparison to be binge-eating disorder, which is the most common eating disorder. That involves the use of an essential resource — food — but for psychological reasons, attempting to fill that void within. Our objective with binge-eating disorder and problematic interactive media usage is self-regulation, enabling individuals to utilize this tool in ways that are effective and constructive.”

Rich is hopeful about finding a way forward for children. His suggestion: embracing boredom. This applies to adults as well.

“We are so averse to boredom that we can’t enter an elevator without pulling out our phones,” he noted.

He advises that at any age, parents should demonstrate healthy media behaviors, promote non-screen activities, and engage in ongoing discussions about how to analyze the content children encounter on their devices.

“Ultimately, whether discussing television, smartphones, or Gen AI, our aim is to assist kids in becoming critical thinkers, to be digitally literate regarding both what they consume and the content they create and share.”