'I’m an eye doctor – kids shouldn’t have any screen time until they’re certain age'

Father and his daughter sat on sofa watching tv together (stock photo)
-Credit:Guido Mieth via Getty Images


An eye doctor has shared how long parents should wait until allowing their children to have screen time.

Dr Rupa Wong, a paediatric ophthalmologist based in America , has shared a TikTok video to explain what age is recommended for children to start having screen time. As a mum, she knows how ‘important’ it can be to put on a TV show for your young children while you get some work done around the house but she has explained that it is best for children under two-years-old not to have any screen time.

The only exception she gives to this is FaceTime and video calls. As a paediatric ophthalmologist, Dr Wong is a specialist doctor in children’s eye care and has expert knowledge in this area.

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Filming a piece to camera for her TikTok video she said: “I’m a paediatric ophthalmologist and a mom-of-three and I absolutely know how important some of these shows are so that you can actually get something done around the house but for your baby’s visual system and brain development the recommendation is actually zero screen time even for educational shows like Miss Rachel or Bluey and I have absolutely nothing against them.

“They are wonderful but the suggestion is to wait until kids are at least two years of age. From ages two to five you can watch at least an hour a day of this alongside your child.”

The doctor explained: “Prior to that we worry about their visual system development and their neurologic development so the rec is just Facetiming with grandparents, video phone calls. That is the only screen time that babies under two should be getting.”

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Dr Wong’s video has received a staggering 1.3 million views, 53,000 likes and more than 2,400 comments. TikTok users took to the comment section to share their thoughts on the information she gave.

One parent said: “You are right. My baby watched Miss Rachel since birth and does not speak. She is two next month.”

A school teacher added: “As a teacher of kindergartners (five to six-year-olds) and who don’t watch TV I agree they are smarter, more social, better with their words, creative, fun, playful. Great with directions and have a beautiful imagination.

“I also used to teach tablet kids, trust me it’s not the same. You can see noticeable difference with their communication and focus period and their temper.”

However, not everyone agreed with the negative effects of children having screen time before the age of two. One TikTok user commented: “I showed this to my husband and he said he watched TV all the time when he was a kid and now he’s a cardiologist.”

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Another echoed: “I grew up watching TV and I’m fine.” Ms Rachel is a YouTube sensation for toddlers as she makes educational videos about letters, colours, numbers and more.

Some parents who watched Dr Wong’s TikTok video said Ms Rachel helped their childrens’ development. One mum said: “My 10 month old learnt how to talk from miss Rachel” and a second added “these shows do help me, Rachel taught my daughter how to say dada and point with her index finger and stack blocks.”

The World Health Organization also agrees that children under two-years-old should not have screen time. It states: “For 1-year-olds, sedentary screen time (such as watching TV or videos, playing computer games) is not recommended. For those aged 2 years, sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better.”