Greatful Moments received this Q&A from Jen Wirt, CEO and Founder of Coral Care, following our questions about Coral Care’s 2026 State of Pediatric Development Report. The report looks at how children are growing up with technology and what regular access to screens can mean for childhood development.
When I first received the information about this report, one of the statistics that caught my attention was that 40% of two-year-olds have their own tablet, while 67% of parents say they rely on screens to occupy their children while they get things done.
As a mom, I understand that second number.
Parents have things to do. Dinner has to be made. Work has to get done. Showers need to happen. Sometimes you need a few minutes where nobody is asking you for something.
So I wanted to ask Jen some questions that I think parents can actually relate to—not simply how many minutes a child should be allowed to look at a screen, but what those screens might be replacing and what parents should watch for.
Jen was kind enough to answer all five of my questions.
1. The report says 40% of two-year-olds have their own tablet. What concerns you most about children having regular access to personal devices at such a young age?
Jen Wirt: The tablet itself doesn’t worry me most. What worries me is what it can push out of a two-year-old’s day. The toddler years are when children build language, motor skills and emotional regulation, and almost all of that happens through hands-on play and back-and-forth with the adults around them.
- Language: Toddlers learn to talk through conversation. That means hearing words, trying them out and getting a response. A screen talks at a child, but it can’t respond to them.
- Movement and sensory play: Climbing, stacking, squishing and pouring build the motor and sensory foundation that later skills like handwriting and focus rest on.
- Regulation: When a device is always on hand to soothe boredom or frustration, children get fewer chances to practice calming down with a parent’s help. That’s a skill they’ll need for the rest of their lives.
- “Personal” is the key word: A device that belongs to the child is often used alone and without a plan. Shared, occasional screen time with a parent nearby looks very different.
2. With 67% of parents saying they rely on screens to occupy their children while they get things done, how can parents use screens as a tool without feeling guilty about needing that help?
Jen Wirt: First, using a screen so you can cook dinner, take a work call or shower doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you a parent. Guilt doesn’t help, but being intentional does. The most helpful way to think about it is through four variables: quality, timing, balance and impact.
- Quality: What kind of screen activity is it? An hour reading on a Kindle, creating something or practicing music is very different from an hour of fast, high-intensity video clips.
- Timing: A screen before bedtime affects sleep for many children. A screen on a long car ride can make travel easier for everyone. Planned screen time also works differently from handing over a device every time a child feels bored.
- Balance: If a child is moving, playing outside, interacting face to face and getting enough sleep, there’s more room for flexibility. When those areas are thin, screens tend to have a bigger effect on behavior.
- Impact: This one matters most. If your child engages, transitions and recovers well, the current balance is probably working.
Healthy screen time is screen time that fits into a child’s day without regularly disrupting behavior, sleep, learning or relationships. It’s less about counting minutes and more about understanding the role screens play in your child’s development.
3. What are some signs parents can watch for that may indicate screen use is beginning to interfere with sleep, play, family interaction, or other areas of development?
Jen Wirt: Look for patterns rather than single moments. Every child has an off day. If several of these show up consistently, it’s worth adjusting:
- Sleep: Trouble falling asleep, more night waking, asking for a device at bedtime, or being tired and irritable the next day.
- Transitions: Big meltdowns when the screen turns off. It’s normal for a child to be disappointed, but if they regularly can’t recover, that’s a sign.
- Play: Less interest in toys, outdoor time or pretend play. Saying “I’m bored” whenever there’s no screen. Shorter attention for activities that don’t light up or move fast.
- Family interaction: Less eye contact or conversation, not hearing their name when they’re on a device, or choosing the screen over time with siblings and parents.
- Mood and regulation: More irritability, impulsivity or frustration after screen use, or reaching for a device as the main way to calm down.
- Development: Few new words or gestures in toddlers, or delays in motor skills like climbing, drawing and using utensils.
If you see these signs, start with small changes to timing and routines. If you have concerns about language, motor skills or regulation, an occupational therapist, speech therapist or physical therapist can help you work out what’s going on and what support your child needs.
4. For parents who feel their child’s screen time has gotten out of hand, what are some realistic first steps they can take without trying to change everything overnight?
Jen Wirt: The goal isn’t perfection. Every family uses screens in some way, and the most helpful approach is to be intentional rather than strict or fearful. Pick one or two of these to start:
- Start with timing. Moving screen time earlier in the day is often the single biggest win. Better sleep means better regulation the next day.
- Build routines for when screens are used and when they aren’t. Predictability helps children feel secure. Many families do well with simple guidelines: screens during travel, after outdoor play or at a set time of day, but not during meals or before bed.
- Use screens for structure, not only distraction. In our kitchen, we keep a digital visual schedule. It’s an OT-informed tool that helps with transitions, predictability and emotional regulation. It is screen time, but it supports executive functioning instead of pulling children out of the flow of the day.
- Watch together when you can. Even a few minutes of watching alongside your child and talking about it turns screen time into language practice and connection. A simple question like “How do you think he feels right now?” builds emotional insight.
- Balance screens with physical and sensory play. Playground time, movement, art and building help regulate the nervous system and support attention after high-intensity content.
- Keep screens in shared spaces. Using devices in the living room makes it easy to stay engaged in what your child is watching, and it feels more connected than solo time in a bedroom.
- Treat big reactions as information. If your child gets upset every time the screen turns off, that isn’t misbehavior. It’s a sign that transitions or regulation skills need support.
- Notice your own habits. Children learn from how we use technology, not just from the rules we set for them.
When children have plenty of movement, play, conversation, reading and rest, screens can exist alongside all of that without crowding it out. The goal is to let technology enhance childhood, not define it.
5. What is one thing you wish every parent understood about children and screens today?
Jen Wirt: Your child’s reaction to screens is information, not a verdict on your parenting. Screens are part of every family’s life now, including mine. The question isn’t whether your child uses them. It’s what happens around them.
When a child is sleeping well, moving their body, playing and having real back-and-forth with the people who love them, a screen is just one part of a full day. When it starts replacing those things, children usually show us, through their sleep, their mood or how hard it is to put the device down. If you watch for those signals, you’ll learn far more than any screen-time number can tell you.
My Thoughts
I really appreciated Jen’s answer that using a screen doesn’t make you a bad parent.
Because I think sometimes parents are made to feel guilty about everything.
If you give your child a tablet, somebody has an opinion.
If you don’t give them one, somebody has an opinion.
And if you are trying to get dinner on the table while answering a work call and keeping a toddler from climbing onto something they shouldn’t be climbing onto, you may not care what anybody’s opinion is—you just need five minutes!
What stood out to me throughout Jen’s answers is that this isn’t really about declaring screens good or bad.
It’s about looking at what the screen is replacing.
Is the child still playing? Are they talking with Mom and Dad? Are they getting outside? Are they sleeping? Are they learning to handle boredom? Are they learning how to calm down without immediately reaching for a device?
Those questions make a lot more sense to me than simply looking at a clock and saying, “Your child had too much screen time today.”
And I especially liked the reminder that a child’s reaction to a screen is information, not a verdict on the parent.
Parenting has never been about getting every single thing right every single day.
Sometimes a screen is going to be part of the day.
The important thing is making sure it isn’t becoming the whole day.
Technology is part of the world our children are growing up in, and it isn’t going away. So maybe the goal shouldn’t be to make childhood completely screen-free.
Maybe the goal is to make sure childhood is still full of the things children need most—conversation, movement, imagination, play, sleep, family and real-life experiences.
A screen can be part of that childhood without defining it.
About the Information
This Greatful Moments Q&A was provided by Jen Wirt, CEO and Founder of Coral Care, through Megan Botta of Pitch PR, following our questions about Coral Care’s 2026 State of Pediatric Development Report.
Learn more about Coral Care and read the 2026 State of Pediatric Development Report.
