What the WHO recommends for kids under five

The World Health Organization set clear, conservative limits for young children in 2019, and the headline is simple: for kids under five, less screen time, more active play, and enough sleep. For babies under one, the WHO recommends no screen time at all. For children aged two to four, it advises no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day, and adds that less is better.

What exactly does the WHO recommend?

The guidance is grouped by age, and screens are only one part of it. For infants under one, the WHO says no screen time, and points parents toward interactive floor play and tummy time instead. For one-year-olds, sedentary screen time is not recommended. For children aged two to four, screen time should be limited to no more than an hour a day, and staying under that is encouraged. Across all of these ages, the WHO pairs the screen limit with two positives: plenty of physical activity and good, consistent sleep. The screen number is really the smallest part of the message.

Why so cautious for the youngest kids?

Because the early years are when so much foundational development happens through movement, play, and back-and-forth interaction with people. Time a toddler spends sitting passively in front of a screen is time not spent crawling, climbing, babbling, or being talked to, and those are the activities that build bodies and language. The WHO frames it as a trade rather than a ban on technology: every sedentary hour competes with the active, social, sleepy hours a small child needs more.

Read plainly, the WHO advice for under-fives comes down to three habits:

• Sit less. Cap sedentary screen time, and keep it well under an hour for toddlers.
• Play more. Active, physical play throughout the day, including floor play for babies.
• Sleep well. Enough good sleep for the age, with consistent routines.

Does this apply to Earnest?

Honestly, not directly, and we would rather say so than stretch. The WHO guidance here is about children under five, and Earnest is built for older kids, roughly ages five to thirteen, where the conversation shifts from "how little" toward "what for and in exchange for what." The AAP takes a similar turn for school-age children, moving from a flat hour limit to a household plan. If you have a preschooler, the WHO advice above is the better guide. If your kids are older, our screen time by age guide picks up where this leaves off, and our family media plan guide helps turn any of it into a routine.

Where earning comes in later

For the older kids Earnest is made for, protecting sleep and quiet time is still the through-line that connects to the WHO's message. Earnest can lock reward apps at bedtime and during media-free windows, so the parts these guidelines care about most stay protected even as screens become part of daily life. You can see those windows on our schedules and bedtime page, or join the early-access list when your kids reach that stage.