Health information
About screens at this age
Prolonged, unattended screen use is not recommended for babies, or for children in general, but the reasons are worth understanding — and so is how using this app well respects them:
In short, health organizations warn against screens for babies and children because of their effects over long sessions, because they take the place of other activities, and because they can change how a baby pays attention.
So, as general rules for using this app well:
With babies, short sessions (up to about five minutes), hours apart.
With children over one, sessions can be longer, depending on their age.
With the screen's brightness set not too high.
Not near bedtime.
With mum or dad.
In practice, and to every visual and cognitive effect, this app is like a backlit book of cards.
In depth, for those who like the detail, what follows goes through each of the concerns usually raised about screen use in babies and children, and how this app relates to them:
🧠 Cognitive development: babies learn better by exploring with their hands than through a screen.
🗣️ Language: screen time can take the place of conversation.
🎯 2D screen ≠ 3D experience: a small baby struggles to carry what they see in 2D across to the real world.
This app does not replace any of that; it complements it, and feeds your baby's appetite for exploring and for words.
📖 Attention and learning: fast stimuli make it harder to hold attention (video especially).
💤 Sleep: screens, especially before bed, can make sleep harder.
This app is pictures: unhurried, slow, one stimulus at a time, low dopamine. Even so, avoid using it (this app, and screens in general) near bedtime or when your baby is sleepy. Screens have not been shown to damage eyesight; what damages it is prolonged eye effort, or effort very close up — from a book as much as from a screen.
👨👩👦 The bond with parents: screens can crowd out moments of interaction and shared play.
🤸 Motor development: time sitting in front of a screen takes the place of chances to move, handle objects and build motor skills.
❤️ Social and emotional development: face-to-face interaction is how a baby learns to recognize emotions, communicate and settle themselves.
🔁 Habits: using screens to entertain or calm a child can gradually turn them into a tool for managing feelings.
This app is meant to be used by parents, or alongside them. It should be used (this app, and screens in general) in short stretches — around five minutes is fine — never so much that it replaces physical play or human company.
And remember: what a newborn most likes to look at is a human face — yours in particular ❤️.
If your baby was born early
The ages on the home screen count weeks from birth. If your baby arrived early, use their corrected age instead: a baby born eight weeks early sees roughly like a baby eight weeks younger. The tier that fits is the one matching how they see, not the date on the calendar.
How to read the ages
The tiers are a suggestion, not a test. Babies are not on a schedule, and the boundaries between these stages are gradual and blurred. If a tier is holding your baby's attention, stay there; if it is not, try the one below or the one above. Nothing is locked to an age, and "All topics" ignores age entirely.
Checking with your doctor
This page is general information only, gathered from ordinary pediatric guidance on how vision develops. It was written by a parent, not a doctor, and it is no substitute for your own. If something about your baby worries you, ask your doctor or pediatrician.