When it comes to screen time for kids, “less is more.”

MISSOURINET –  Missouri kids on summer break may be spending less time playing outdoors and more time in front of screens.

Too much screen time could be hindering their social and emotional development. Jeff Reiland, a child and family therapist, says when it comes to screen time on TVs, tablets and cellphones,  “less is better.”

“Back in the 1960s, the average household had one screen,” Reiland  says. “It was usually a black and white – maybe if they were lucky – a color TV. And in 2015, the average household had seven or eight screens.

“In 2024, surveys showed the average household has seventeen screens, more than twice what it had even ten years ago,” he states.

Some studies find kids are watching screens on average for three hours a day by three years of age, while for teens, it may be eight hours or more of screen time every day.