Video Call Screen Time Rules
The short answer
The AAP makes an explicit exception for video calls when discussing screen time guidelines. Unlike passive screen viewing, video calls are interactive and involve live, responsive social interaction — which is how young children learn language and social skills. Video calls with family members are considered appropriate even for babies under 18 months. However, the quality of the interaction matters — a toddler watching someone on a screen without engaging is passive viewing, not a video call.
By Age
What to expect by age
Very young babies cannot visually focus well enough to engage meaningfully with a screen. Brief video calls where grandparents or distant family members can see and talk to the baby are fine but are more for the adults' benefit. The baby benefits from hearing familiar voices.
Babies begin to show interest in faces on screens and may smile at familiar faces during video calls. Keep calls short (5-10 minutes) as babies tire quickly. The interaction is most valuable when the adult on screen is responsive and engaging — talking, singing, and waiting for the baby to respond.
Babies can engage more actively with video calls — waving, babbling back, and showing toys to the camera. This is genuinely interactive and supports social development. Help facilitate by pointing at the screen and narrating: "Look, it's Grandma! Can you wave to Grandma?"
Toddlers can have increasingly meaningful video call interactions. They may show toys, perform for the camera, or have simple conversations. Video calls remain exempt from the 1-hour screen time limit because they are interactive social experiences. However, if your toddler is just passively watching a video call without engaging, it functions more like passive screen time.
What Should You Do?
When to take action
- Your baby or toddler video calls with family members regularly and this is counted separately from entertainment screen time
- Your toddler sometimes loses interest partway through a video call — attention spans are short at this age
- Your baby does not seem to recognize the person on screen — this develops gradually over time with repeated exposure
- Video calls are brief and interactive, with the remote person actively engaging with your child
- Your toddler seems to rely on video calls the same way they rely on passive screen entertainment — watching for extended periods without true engagement
- Your child becomes extremely distressed when video calls end, similar to screen-removal tantrums
- You have concerns about your child's ability to connect with people — both on screen and in person
- Your child shows no interest in interacting with faces either on screen or in person, avoids eye contact, and does not respond to social overtures — this is a concern about social development, not screen time
- Screen time of any kind (including video calls left running as background) is replacing sleep, active play, or face-to-face interaction
Sources
Related Resources
Related Behavior Concerns
Screen Time Addiction in Toddlers
While toddlers cannot be clinically "addicted" to screens in the way adults can, they can develop a strong dependence on screen-based stimulation that makes it hard to transition away. The AAP recommends avoiding screen time for children under 18 months (except video calls) and limiting screen time to 1 hour per day of high-quality programming for ages 2-5. If your toddler has meltdowns when screens are turned off or seems disinterested in other activities, it may be time to gradually reduce screen use.
Tablet Dependency in Toddlers
Tablets are particularly compelling for toddlers because of their interactive, touch-responsive nature. When a toddler relies on a tablet to eat, sit still, or cope with any frustration, it can prevent them from developing important self-regulation skills. The AAP recommends limiting all digital media to 1 hour per day for children ages 2-5. If your toddler seems unable to function without a tablet, gradual reduction paired with engaging alternative activities is the recommended approach.
Aggressive Play vs Normal Play
Rough-and-tumble play — wrestling, chasing, play-fighting, and superhero battles — is a normal and important part of child development, particularly for toddlers and preschoolers. It helps children develop physical coordination, social skills, self-regulation, and an understanding of boundaries. The key distinction between normal rough play and concerning aggression is whether both children are having fun, there is turn-taking in roles, and no one is intentionally trying to hurt the other.
My Toddler Is Aggressive Toward Pets
Toddlers being rough with pets is extremely common and almost never reflects true aggression or cruelty. Young children lack the motor control to be consistently gentle and do not yet understand that animals feel pain the way they do. With patient, consistent teaching about gentle touch and close supervision, most toddlers learn to interact safely with pets by age 3-4.
My Baby Doesn't Seem Attached to Anyone
By 7-9 months, most babies show clear preferences for their primary caregivers and some wariness of unfamiliar people. If your baby seems equally comfortable with everyone and shows no distress when separated from caregivers, it may simply reflect an easy-going temperament. However, if combined with other social differences, it can occasionally warrant further discussion with your pediatrician.
Attachment Parenting Burnout
Attachment parenting principles (responsive feeding, babywearing, co-sleeping) can foster strong parent-child bonds, but the all-encompassing nature of the approach can lead to parental exhaustion and burnout, particularly for the primary caregiver. Research shows that secure attachment comes from being consistently responsive to your child — it does not require 24/7 physical proximity, exclusive breastfeeding, or co-sleeping. A burned-out, resentful parent is less able to provide the emotional responsiveness that is at the true heart of secure attachment.