Whether we like it or not, young children are growing up in a high-tech world and our job as caregivers is to ensure that exposure to online content is helping and not harming their development. 

There are many great online tools available to support children’s learning but it’s best to limit screen time for children 0-5. The American Psychological Association offer some helpful digital guidelines for promoting healthy technology use for children. These guidelines include: 

• For children under 18 months, avoid screen-based media except video chatting.
• For children 18 months to 24 months, parents should choose high-quality programming and watch with their children.
• For children 2 to 5, limit screen time to one hour per day of high-quality programming.
• For children 6 and up, establish consistent limits on the time spent using media and the types of media.

You can learn about Internet safety and protecting children when they are online at KidsHealth.org.

And, if you are looking for quick tips for keeping kids safe online, check out Feather Berkower’s blog, Keeping Kids Safe Online- 10 Best Practices.