This one's quick. If your kid uses a phone or tablet, the brightness is almost certainly too high.
Why it matters more for toddlers
Young kids have larger pupils and more transparent lenses than adults. That means the same screen, at the same brightness, is delivering more light to the back of their eyes (LeBourgeois, 2017).
It's like the difference between standing in front of a window with sunglasses on versus without. Same window, very different experience. Your toddler is looking at the screen without the sunglasses.
What to do
Take whatever device your kid uses. Pull the brightness slider down to about 40-50%. Then watch your kid use it. If they're not squinting or leaning in, try going lower.
If the device has auto-brightness, turn it on. It adjusts to ambient light, which means it'll dim automatically indoors. But check it manually from time to time because auto-brightness tends to err on the bright side.
Combine this with night mode for the biggest effect. Warm tones plus low brightness is noticeably gentler. Your kid probably won't even notice the change. Their eyes will.
Sources
- LeBourgeois, M.K., Hale, L., Chang, A.M., Akacem, L.D., Montgomery-Downs, H.E., & Buxton, O.M. (2017). Digital media and sleep in childhood and adolescence. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), S92-S96. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758J