Every recommendation on this site traces back to a specific, publicly available guideline. Here they are, named directly.
The AAP's screen time guidance comes from two formal policy statements published in Pediatrics, the AAP's peer-reviewed journal:
Covers children under 5. Establishes that video chatting is appropriate under 18 months, that 18-24 months is a window for introducing high-quality programming with a caregiver, and that ages 2-5 should be limited to 1 hour per day of high-quality content.
Covers ages 6 and up. Moves away from a single hour limit for older children and instead recommends consistent, family-agreed limits that protect sleep, physical activity, and other health-promoting behaviors.
Recommends no sedentary screen time for infants under 1 year, and no more than 1 hour for children aged 2-4 (less is better). These figures independently corroborate the AAP's early-years recommendations and are why this calculator's under-5 guidance is consistent across both US and international sources.
The NHS does not publish a single fixed hour limit for every age. Instead it recommends that families set limits based on the child's individual needs, prioritizing sleep, physical activity, homework, and face-to-face time over a strict numeric cap - the same principle reflected in this calculator's teen guidance.
We do not create our own screen time limits. The calculator maps your child's age to the published AAP/WHO/NHS bracket, then compares it against the number of hours you enter to show whether current use is within, close to, or above the recommended range. No data is stored or transmitted - the comparison happens entirely in your browser.
Guidelines are reviewed periodically by these organizations. If a cited policy statement is formally updated, we update the calculator's figures to match.