Webinar: Screens, Babies, and Growing Minds

June 25, 2026 LA Best Babies Network brain development, home visiting, Los Angeles County, Parent Coach, webinar, Welcome Baby

Humans are born with nearly 100 billion neurons — essentially all the nerve cells we will have for life — but they’re not all connected. Our earliest experiences in infancy and early childhood determine how these connections are formed, building the networks that make up our brain architecture.

What if a lot of these early experiences involve staring at digital screens? Not good, say researchers.

Part 1 Webinar

On March 9, 2026, LA Best Babies Network hosted a webinar with clinical psychologist Nina Newman to discuss research and recommendations on this issue. Staff from our network’s home visiting organizations and Welcome Baby hospitals learned about the importance of monitoring and limiting screen time — for both babies and their parents and caregivers.

Training objectives for the Part 1 webinar included building a working knowledge of:

Why it is important to pay attention to the use of screens
Infant brain development
The importance of relationships
The potential effects of screens
The effects of screentime on parents, caregivers and providers

Part 2 Webinar

On May 27, 2026, we hosted a part-two webinar with Dr. Newman.

Training objectives for the Part 2 webinar:

Identify and map key patterns in family screen time use (e.g., when, how, and why it is used)
Explore parent perspectives, including perceived pros, cons, and concerns about minimizing screen time
Develop and apply strategies to support goal-setting and consistent boundaries
Identify ways to create screen-free times and routines
Suggest alternative activities and ways to build them into everyday routines
Support families in managing transitions (e.g., meltdowns) when reducing screen time)
Promote healthy habits through co-viewing and modeling
Learn ways to introduce and communicate the impact of screen time to parents in a supportive, non-judgmental way, while exploring their perspectives

Scroll down to watch both recordings, and see links to related resources at the bottom.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends setting limits on screen time, but also prioritizes quality, context, and conversation over strict time limits.

AAP Screen Time Guidelines by Age

Under 18 months: Avoid screens, or limit to video chatting
18–24 months: High-quality, educational programming with parents
2–5 years: Limit to 1 hour/day of high-quality, educational content
6+ years: Establish consistent limits on time and types of media, ensuring it does not interfere with sleep, exercise, or schoolwork

AAP’s Key Recommendations for Families

Develop a customized media plan for the household based on:

The “5 C’s” approach: Child-focused, Content, Context, Co-viewing, and Crowding Out (e.g., is media replacing sleep/play?)
No Screens in Bedrooms: Keep devices out of children’s bedrooms, especially at night
Device-Free Meals: Designate mealtimes as screen-free to boost family connection
Co-viewing: Watch, play, and discuss media with children to make it an active rather than passive experience
Balance: Actively “crowd out” screen time with, or balance it against, exercise, outdoor activity, and in-person socialization

Watch the webinar recordings here, and don’t miss the links to related resources below.

Part 1 webinar:

Part 2 webinar:

About the presenter:

Nina Newman, PhD, is a licensed psychologist with advanced training in clinical psychology, neuropsychology, and reflective practice. She provides consultation and training for parents, caregivers, and professionals, alongside psychotherapy for adults, all with a focus on relational health across the lifespan.
Learn about Dr. Newman’s practice at NinaNewmanPhD.com and see her bio here.

Related resources:

Presentation slides for Part 1 webinar
Presentation slides for Part 2 webinar
For parents: handouts, articles and videos on screen time — también en español (collected in our Parenting Resources library in English at LABestBabies.org/parenting and in Spanish at LABestBabies.org/familias)
Screen Time Guidelines (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Family Media Plan (also in Spanish) (American Academy of Pediatrics)
U.S. Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use (read the full Advisory and see the Toolkit for practical tips and guides)
Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health
Parents’ battle over screen time reaches the classroom (LA Times article, March 19, 2026)