Study shows screen time for kids spiked within the past decade

According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, screen time for children under two years old has more than doubled.

That's an increase from just over an hour of screen time in 1997 to more than three hours in 2014.

Time in front of the television alone jumped from 30 minutes to more than two and a half hours. A lead researcher in the study explained that in 1997, screen time was defined as TV time, video games and computers.

By 2014, screen time also included cell phones, tablets, electronic readers and learning devices.

Excessive screen time for young children has been linked to delays in cognitive, verbal and social growth, and an increased risk of obesity and impaired sleep, according to the study.

In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended avoiding screens altogether for kids under 18 months, watching only high-quality programming between 18 months and two years, and limiting screen time to one hour per day for kids ages two to five.