Opinion - Kids attention span in 2026

By Violette Godier-Ruess, M. S. CCC-SLP

8/18/2026

It's 2026. In New Jersey and many states in the USA most children have 2 working parents or caregivers. Costs of necessities like food, electricity, gas are higher than ever, and the minimum wage and raises don't keep up. Parents are exhausted, afterschool activities are becoming more and more expensive, and if it's a regular Monday night, your kids are probably relaxing in front of the TV if you budget monthly payment for TV subscriptions. Ok, so maybe they aren't relaxing in front of the TV, reality is, many of them are relaxing on your phone or the tablet, using WIFI to stream free videos and content on You tube or a social media platform. Fair substitute and cost saving entertainment.

Now, I'm guessing if you have read this far, you are thinking, yup, she's going to tell us to cut screen time. While I definitely recommend cutting screen time, I am also a mom who understands the burdens of parenting and the need for a BREAK and will not be cutting screen time anytime soon. So where is this going? Attention. In my professional work, as well as my research, I have seen time and time again the impact of short form shows and clips on attention. What is short form? Shows and clips that are only a few seconds to a few minutes long - basically, a ton of what is available online for kids. For example, Bluey is 7 minutes an episode, Hatchimals might be 3 minutes, Blippi learn to count 52 seconds. When you are constantly watching short clips, and this applies to adults too, you are training your brain to attend for that long. SO if all the videos you watch are 3 minutes long, your brain gets used to paying attention for 3 minutes, and anything longer than that you are basically on to the next thing. Attention span = 3 minutes.

So why do we care? Well eventually, you are going to take your kid to a restaurant for dinner, or story time at the library, or kindergarten or 4th grade. They will be expected to sit and pay attention, for much longer than 3 minutes. A neurotypical child at 5 years old can be expected to be able to attend for about 15 minutes at a time without a break. This can be hard but it does have to be. Let me give you a simple solution that might help you both: Start watching full length shows and movies. 20 minutes +. Maybe they only have enough time for half the movie before bedtime routine starts but that could be an hour of attention. I'm not promising miracles here. Fact is you may have a neurodivergent child who has difficulty with attention. But I would say its worth a try.

Now if you are already there, read chapter books with your kid, play a board game or start a conversation. You are doing a great job!

Find some movies or a series of movies to watch! - Toy story Gif images in stars