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Screen time recommendations by age
In Germany there are two key sources: the guideline on screen media use published in 2023 by the German Society of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine together with other medical societies, and the 2016 national recommendations for physical activity and its promotion. The figures are upper limits, not targets.
| Age | Recommendation per day | Source |
|---|---|---|
| under 3 | no screen time, ideally not even watching others use screens | Guideline 2023 |
| 3 to 6 | at most 30 minutes, not alone, ideally with screen-free days | Guideline 2023 |
| 4 to 6 | at most 30 minutes | Activity recommendations 2016 |
| 6 to 9 | 30 to 45 minutes, homework not included | Guideline 2023 |
| 6 to 11 | at most 60 minutes | Activity recommendations 2016 |
| 12 to 18 | at most 120 minutes | Activity recommendations 2016 |
The WHO advises against screen time for children under 2 and recommends no more than one hour a day of sedentary screen time for 2- to 4-year-olds, adding that less is better.
What counts as screen time?
All screens count: TV, game console, tablet, smartphone and computer. The guideline separates leisure time from school: the 30 to 45 minutes for 6- to 9-year-olds apply outside homework. It helps to keep learning time and leisure time on screens clearly apart.
Why limits make sense
In 2020 the World Health Organization summarised the research on children and adolescents: a lot of sitting, especially recreational screen time, is linked to more body fat, poorer fitness and cardiometabolic health, poorer social behaviour and shorter sleep. Its advice: limit sedentary time and recreational screen time.
And time in front of a screen is often time not spent moving. Germany’s national recommendations call for 90 minutes of physical activity a day for children aged 6 and over.
How much exercise do children need?Making it work day to day
The guideline gives parents practical tips:
- Make time visible, for example with an hourglass or a stopwatch. Software that switches the device off automatically when time is up can help.
- Don’t leave young children alone with a screen: ask what they are watching or playing, and watch or play together sometimes.
- Don’t use screens as a reward, a punishment or to calm a child down.
- Screens stay off during meals.
- Be a role model and don’t keep checking your own phone.
- Don’t give children under 9 their own game console.
Questions and answers
Do the limits include homework?
No. For 6- to 9-year-olds the 2023 guideline names 30 to 45 minutes outside homework. Screen time for learning is not counted.
At what age should a child get their own console?
The guideline advises against giving children under 9 their own game console. According to the guideline, children with their own console play about twice as long.
What about babies and toddlers?
For children under 3 the guideline recommends no screen time at all, ideally not even watching others use screens. The WHO advises against screen time for children under 2.
Sources
The information comes from these sources (external links):
- S2k guideline on preventing dysregulated screen media use in childhood and adolescence, AWMF register 027-075, led by the German Society of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (2023, German)
- Ärzte Zeitung: report on the new S2k guideline (21 September 2023, German)
- Pharmazeutische Zeitung: report on the S2k guideline (25 September 2023, German)
- German national recommendations for physical activity and its promotion (2016), Federal Ministry of Health (German)
- Pfeifer, Rütten: physical activity recommendations for children and adolescents in practice, Bayerisches Ärzteblatt 4/2018 (PDF, German)
- WHO: guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 (24 April 2019)
- Chaput et al.: 2020 WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour for children and adolescents aged 5–17 years, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 17:141 (2020)
General information, not a substitute for medical advice.