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Browse through our list of questions and answers to find the information you are looking for. Answers are evidence-based and developed in collaboration with the child and youth health professionals on our Advisory Board and Digital Health Task Force.
Children under five years of age should not be exposed to AI toys or video content (often called ‘AI baby slop’). Young children need face-to-face interaction with humans who care about them. It’s how they learn and process the world around them.
Babies and children under 2 years shouldn’t have any screen time and AI-created media is even more problematic than traditional content. AI is not real content created by a person or organization. This content is created with the sole purpose of attracting clicks and views, without regard to quality: AI baby slop is automatically generated and largely based on nonsense. At first, an AI-generated video may seem to be age-appropriate, but it quickly changes to depict images and messages that are untrue, inappropriate or unsafe.
Parents and caregivers should avoid all forms of AI toys or digital content marketed for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. These products and content have no benefit and can only serve to create confusion and overwhelm children’s ability to learn and focus.
Posted: April 23, 2026
AI toys use artificial intelligence to interact with children. They can be dolls, mini-robots, plush toys, or action figures and are often marketed as “trusted companions” who “listen and respond” to children with a “human touch.” Child health and development experts don’t recommend AI toys for children. The best toys encourage activity, imaginative play, or help with developing motor skills. Many paediatricians are seeing increased rates of developmental, language, and social-emotional delays in young children. And they are concerned that AI toys could worsen this trend by confusing a child’s early understanding of positive relationships—especially in very young hands. For more information about the risks of AI toys, check out this resource from Fairplay. And explore the Canadian Paediatric Society’s resources on play for babies and toddlers.
Posted: November 26, 2025
Educational, age-appropriate ‘learn-to-read’ apps and e-books can help with language—but only when parents and children read and learn together. The physical book experience offers more key sensory opportunities to feel different textures, pick and choose, turn pages, scribble, and chew on corners.
Posted: May 16, 2025
Apart from interactive video-chatting to support long-distance relationships, there is no benefit to exposing babies and toddlers to digital media because:
Young children need learning experiences that screens can’t provide like sensory stimulation, human interaction, and being able to physically explore the world around them.
To nurture healthy development, avoid exposing children under 2 years to screens. For children 2 to 5 years, limit routine or non-active screen use to about 1 hour (or less) per day.
Too much screen use has also been shown to increase episodes of preschoolers ‘acting out’ or developing problem behaviours.
Posted May 16, 2025
Being online allows children to connect with friends, play active video games or watch shows/movies that are appropriate for their age and development.
These activities should be limited to no more than two hours. Any more than that can pose a problem.
Why?
Too much screen use takes time away from opportunities to learn, play, sleep, and socialize with family and friends. It’s also linked with lower mental health, body image issues, online harassment, poor educational performance, and anxiety symptoms.
As a parent, talk often with your kids about how, when, and why they’re using devices. Children and teens need you to watch for signs of excessive or unsafe use, and to step in when needed.
Updated: May 7, 2026
Age measures can be part of a solution, but age bans alone are insufficient. Children routinely bypass age gates, and age verification tools are imperfect.
There is no age at which risk suddenly disappears. The adolescent brain is still developing, particularly areas responsible for impulse control, emotional regulation, and reward sensitivity, making children and adolescents uniquely vulnerable to addictive design features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and algorithmic reinforcement.
If age assurance or age verification tools are used, they must be privacy preserving, proportionate, and independently overseen. They can, in no way, be a substitute for upholding a legal duty of care or instituting safety-by-design harm reduction measures.
Posted: April 17, 2026
Some artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used in positive ways, but they can also promote false, harmful or misleading information, compromise privacy and contribute to academic fraud (for example, using a generative AI tool like ChatGPT to write an essay).
Voice cloning and deep fakes are two extreme examples, but harm can happen in other situations. For example, when youth use AI for personal advice or health information, they are at risk of receiving information that is potentially harmful. Seeing AI-generated content that portrays inaccurate or stereotypical information as true can also affect the way youth perceive other people and the world around them.
Speak with children and teens about using AI in ways that protect their privacy, health and safety (both for themselves and others) and academic honesty. Test out AI tools together so that everyone at home understands how to use them responsibly. Consider asking staff at your children’s school whether they have a policy on the use of AI tools, and whether students are taught about responsible use of AI.
Updated: April 23, 2026
Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to this question.
Experts do not agree on the optimal age for children to have a smartphone, but later is usually better because older, more mature children can learn to use a phone responsibly. The decision also depends on whether a child needs a phone for safety or medical reasons.
Visit our Resource Library for more information on assessing smartphone readiness
Updated: May 7, 2026
It’s natural and healthy for children and teens to get caught up in favourite pastimes, including video games. If your child or teen is playing games that are age-appropriate and preferably with known friends or family (not interacting online with strangers), you generally don’t need to be concerned.
However, it’s important to stay engaged with your child’s media use and be alert to any concerning signs. If you notice worrisome behavioural changes such as the ones described below, be sure to set limits, use positive guidance, and consider reaching out to your child’s health care provider for support as needed.
Signs to watch for
Posted: May 16, 2025
It’s easier to set screen limits when children are young instead of trying to cut back later on. When children are young, avoid using screens as a distraction. Instead, use strategies that nurture their ability to self-sooth and regulate their emotions. Respond right away to their immediate needs—for attention, a snack or a rest.
For children of any age, one way to set and monitor limits is to create a Family Media Plan. A plan helps you think about your screen use in a deliberate way. It encourages you to think about how and why each member of your family uses screens.
You can also create healthier family media routines through the behaviour that you model. For example, stick to the family media plan yourself, limit screen use during family times, and respond to children before your devices.
Finally, take an active interest in your child’s media life. By being involved, you can monitor what they are watching, prioritize educational, age-appropriate, and interactive programming, and talk to them about content you feel is problematic.
Posted: May 16, 2025
Technoference (rhymes with “interference”) is a word used to describe what happens when a parent or child’s screen use interrupts other activities.
For young children, time spent by parents on mobile devices is linked with more frequent negative interactions with their children. For example, if a parent is distracted by their screen use, a child may try to get their attention by making noise or doing something they are not supposed to do.
Technology also interferes with routines, play, social interactions and learning. For older children and teens, paying attention to a device while trying to learn has an immediate negative impact. It disrupts reading efficiency, impairs problem-solving, and lowers children’s confidence in their ability to do homework.
Discourage technoference by turning off screens and silencing notifications to make devices less distracting during times that you want to be screen-free.
Posted: May 16, 2025
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