How much screen time is OK for a 5-year-old? What WHO and the AAP say for ages 4–7

What WHO says for ages 3 and 4

WHO published its guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 on 24 April 2019. For ages 3–4 the screen rule is a single line: sedentary screen time "should be no more than 1 hour; less is better." WHO's examples of sedentary screen time are watching TV or videos and playing computer games.

The same guideline sets two other daily targets for this age group. Children aged 3–4 should get at least 180 minutes of physical activity of any intensity, including at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, and 10–13 hours of good-quality sleep. When children are sitting, WHO encourages reading and storytelling with a caregiver.

What WHO says for ages 5, 6 and 7

There is no WHO number for these ages. The 2019 document covers children under 5 and stops there. From age 5, children fall under WHO's 2020 guidelines for ages 5–17, which say children should limit sedentary time, "particularly the amount of recreational screen time."

The published evidence summary behind that 2020 guideline (Chaput and colleagues, 2020) states that there was not enough evidence to set precise cut-offs for recreational screen time. So when a website or a chatbot says "WHO recommends one hour for a 6-year-old," it is stretching the under-5 rule past the ages it was written for.

What the AAP says, and what changed in 2026

The number most US parenting sites still quote comes from the AAP's 2016 statement "Media and Young Minds." For children 2 to 5 it advised limiting screen use to 1 hour per day of high-quality programming, watching together and helping children apply what they see. It also recommended no screens during meals and for 1 hour before bedtime.

In January 2026 the AAP published a new policy statement, "Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents," in Pediatrics. It shifts attention from counting minutes to how apps are designed and how families live with them.

On time, the statement says limits "might range" from under 1 hour a day for toddlers and preschoolers to 1–2 hours a day or more of entertainment media for school-age children and teens. School-related use is not part of that range. The statement calls high-quality content and protecting sleep, play, physical activity and reading the most important considerations.

For setting your own rules, the AAP points families to its free Family Media Plan on HealthyChildren.org and to five questions it calls the 5 Cs: Child, Content, Calm, Crowding out and Communication.

Canada's number for school-age children

Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, which cover ages 5–17, draw a firmer line: no more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time. The same guidelines recommend 9–11 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night for ages 5–13. Of the public-health guidance we checked, this is the only one that gives a firm daily cap for a 6- or 7-year-old.

The guidance by age at a glance

A daily routine that fits the guidance

The guidelines give principles, not schedules. The routine below is our editorial suggestion, built around what WHO and the AAP actually recommend.

1. Fix the slot in advance. The AAP's 5 Cs page for ages 2–4 suggests keeping screens for regular times of day or for long car, bus or plane rides. A predictable slot ("after snack, before the park") makes screen time part of the day's rhythm rather than a daily debate.
2. Play together for part of it. The AAP's 2026 statement notes that the benefits of good content are stronger when a caregiver watches or plays along. In a princess game that can be as simple as asking for a tour of the castle she decorated, or why she picked the blue gown.
3. Agree on a stop point inside the game. Instead of only setting a timer, agree on a finish line your child can see: "when the dress is finished," "after we decorate the ballroom," "at the end of this story." The AAP warns that autoplay and endless feeds make it hard for children to move on, and suggests asking children how they decide they are "done." A visible finish line gives her a say in that.
4. Keep the hour before bed screen-free. The AAP's 2026 advice is to avoid screens in the hour before bedtime and keep devices out of the bedroom. Fill that hour with a bath, a book or one of our calm princess bedtime stories.
5. Keep one calm-down option that isn't a screen. In the AAP's review, preschoolers who are often calmed with a mobile device tend to have weaker emotion-regulation skills. That is an association, not proof of cause, but it is a good reason to have a song, a cuddle or a drawing pad ready for hard moments.

How to choose a calmer princess game

The AAP's 2026 statement describes what lower-quality children's content tends to look like: design tricks such as frequent rewards for play, built-in ads, too many interactive elements, and scary or violent content. Higher-quality content leaves room for free play and models social and emotional skills. For princess games, that means:

• No ads, or an ad-free version. Check the store listing before you download; our guide to princess games without ads shows where the labels are.
• No rewards for just showing up. HealthyChildren.org warns about apps that reward children simply for signing in, and the AAP notes that frequent badges and trophies are hard for children to resist.
• Open-ended play. Dollhouse-style castles and dress-up games without scores or levels make it easier to agree on a stop point. See how castle games compare.
• Purchases locked. Turn on purchase approval before handing over the tablet: how to stop in-app purchases.
• Autoplay off in any video app, which the AAP's 5 Cs page for ages 2–4 also recommends.