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Screen time under two: what the research actually says.
We make an app, so the same screen guidance applies to us. Here is what current guidance says, what the studies measured, and why a short shared activity is not a proven treatment or a screen-time exemption.
The current guidance
The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its media policy in 2026. It looks beyond a daily minute count to the child, the content, who is using it together, and what media might crowd out. Infants under 18 months have difficulty transferring information from screens to the real world.1
For toddlers and preschoolers, the AAP suggests discussing time limits that fit the family, with high-quality content and time protected for sleep, play, movement, reading and relationships. Its examples include less than one hour a day for these ages.1
The World Health Organization’s physical-activity and sleep guidance recommends no sedentary screen time for infants or one-year-olds. For children aged two to four, it recommends no more than one hour a day, with less preferred.2 This guideline does not set out a video-chat exception.
For an infant, choose people and play first. Video calls can connect family members. Neither a call nor a shared app needs to replace in-person talk, books, movement or sleep.
What the studies actually measured
A speech-sound experiment is not a test of every app
In Kuhl’s 2003 experiment, nine-month-old infants learned a Mandarin sound contrast after sessions with a live speaker. The video and audio groups did not show that learning on the same test.3 It was a specific speech-sound task, not evidence that every recording teaches nothing in every setting.
Associations are not proof of cause
A survey linked more baby-video viewing at 8 to 16 months with lower reported vocabulary.4 Another study followed 2,441 children and found that higher reported screen time at 24 and 36 months preceded lower developmental-screening scores at later measurements.5 These observational findings cannot prove that screens caused a particular child’s delay, or establish a safe number of minutes.
Responsive video chat can support a specific learning task
In a study of children aged 24 to 30 months, children learned new verbs in live and responsive video-chat conditions, but not in the matched recording condition.6 This supports the value of interaction in that setting. It does not show that video calls teach babies generally, or make every video call exempt from screen guidance.
What this means for our app
A flashcard app is still a screen. We have not established that Their First Words treats a speech or language delay, or that using it together removes screen-time concerns. You can use a recording to hear a pronunciation, then talk, sing or read away from the device.
If you choose to use cards, keep the activity responsive: follow your child’s interest and stop when they turn away. The app offers one card at a time; Auto Play is off by default.
Our free printable cards give you a paper option. Books, toys and things already around the house are options too.
Practical boundaries
- Protect daily routines. Keep meals, bedrooms and the hour before bed free of screens; turn background television off.1
- Use media together when you choose it. Pay attention to your child’s response and what the activity is replacing.1
- Ask about your child’s needs. For developmental concerns, discuss media use with their care team rather than choosing an app as treatment.
For communication milestones and when to ask for help, read the first-words guide.
What this is based on
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics (2026). Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement. Pediatrics, 157(2), e2025075320. doi:10.1542/peds.2025-075320
- World Health Organization (2019). Guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5 years of age. who.int
- Kuhl, P. K., Tsao, F.-M. & Liu, H.-M. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. PNAS, 100(15), 9096–9101. pnas.org
- Zimmerman, F. J., Christakis, D. A. & Meltzoff, A. N. (2007). Associations between media viewing and language development in children under age 2 years. The Journal of Pediatrics, 151(4), 364–368. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2007.04.071
- Madigan, S., Browne, D., Racine, N., Mori, C. & Tough, S. (2019). Association between screen time and children’s performance on a developmental screening test. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(3), 244–250. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2018.5056
- Roseberry, S., Hirsh-Pasek, K. & Golinkoff, R. M. (2014). Skype me! Socially contingent interactions help toddlers learn language. Child Development, 85(3), 956–970. doi:10.1111/cdev.12166
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