Parents Urged to Limit Screen Time for Kids by American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that children be allowed no more than one to two hours of screen time per day. It is the latest organization to denounce too much time in front of smartphones and tablets as detrimental to the health of children. The AHA says that too much screen time can keep kids too sedentary, increasing their chances of being overweight or obese. One researcher even cautions that screen time can have a huge effect on how kids eat. Tracie Barnett, researcher The American Heart Association, via 'USA Today' The AHA also recommends that parents keep screens out of kids' bedrooms for fear of disrupting sleep patterns. A recent study from San Diego and Florida State universities Google and Apple have responded to these studies by introducing tools to their operating systems that will help users manage their screen time.