The average American baby now watches nearly 3 hours of TV every day

Babies watching TV.
(Image credit: Isabelle Plasschaert / Alamy Stock Photo)

Children are spending more time than ever in front of a screen, and it doesn't necessarily bode well for their futures.

In 1997, babies and toddlers age 0-2 got an average of 1.32 hours of screen time each day, Axios reports via a Monday report from JAMA Pediatrics. By 2014, that number had doubled to three hours per day, and more of that time is spent in front of the TV than ever before.

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Kathryn Krawczyk

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.