Paediatric guidance for under-2s is close to zero screen time except video calls — but real households need more than an ideal. Here's the guidance, the reasoning, and a workable approach for actual Indian family life.
Screen time for toddlers is where expert guidance and household reality collide harder than almost anywhere else in parenting. Both deserve honest treatment.
Habits formed now set defaults for the years ahead, but nothing about toddler screen exposure is irreversible. A family that resets its patterns at any point gets most of the benefit. The goal is a childhood where screens are one small, bounded thing among many bigger things — play, people, boredom, books — not a purity contest.