YouTuber Ms. Rachel Reveals How Much Screen Time Kids Should Have

And with that balance in mind, Ms. Rachel—who is mom to son Thomas, 7, and daughter Susannah, 6 months, son Aron Accurso—also stressed the importance for parents to be having constant interactions with their children. 

“For the really little ones, zero to three, that I have an expertise in, it’s really important that they have what Harvard calls serve-and-return interactions,” she explained. “So say they’re at the grocery store with you and they point, and you’re like, ‘Oh, you see the apples?’ And then they’re like, ‘Yeah.’ And you’re like, ‘Wow, should we get an apple? I’m going to pick out an apple.’” 

As the Internet personality noted, “narrating your day” and having those “back-and-forth interactions” with your children are incredibly important for their development and can’t be replaced by screens. But that’s not to say that they are never helpful.

“I think expecting parents to never use screens—how is that possible?” Ms. Rachel added. “I think guilt can be a very heavy thing to carry as a parent. I think we don’t need to feel as guilty as we do.”