The UK government has issued new guidance on screen time for children under five, marking its first evidence-backed, practical advice on this topic. The guidance recommends children aged 2 to 5 should have no more than one hour of screen time per day. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the government will not leave parents alone to face screen time challenges and will provide clear, common-sense tips. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson added that the guidance gives parents clear, trusted support they've asked for.
Key recommendations from the guidance focus on content quality and parental involvement. The guidance recommends co-viewing, where parents watch screens together with interaction, as better for development than solo screen use. It advises choosing slow-paced, age-appropriate content and avoiding fast-paced, social media-style videos and AI toys or tools. The guidance also suggests 'screen swaps' where devices are replaced with shared reading or family games, and recommends parents lead by example in screen use, as children copy habits.
The guidance was developed following engagement with over a thousand parents and is informed by findings from the Children of the 2020s study. It is available for free on the Best Start in Life website, providing accessible resources for families.
Screen use among infants and young children in the UK is widespread, with 98% of two-year-olds watching screens every day. A study by the Education Policy Institute found that 72% of nine-month-old babies are exposed to screens daily. Additionally, 24% of parents of 3- to 5-year-olds find it hard to control their child's screen time, highlighting the challenges families face.
Research findings reveal screen time patterns and family structure influences. The EPI study found that 80% of only children are exposed to screens daily. Infants in single-parent homes average 47 minutes of screen time daily, compared to 39 minutes for those with two parents. The overall average screen time for infants in the EPI study was 41 minutes per day. The number of siblings is strongly related to screen use among babies, with family dynamics playing a key role.
Excessive screen time impacts children's activities and development. Two percent of infants exceed three hours of screen time daily and are less likely to participate in activities like outdoor trips or being read to. For babies watching over three hours daily, there is a negative relationship with engagement in other regular activities. Children's commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner reviewed evidence finding that long periods of solo screen time can affect children's sleep and physical activity, underscoring developmental risks.
The guidance gives parents clear, trusted support they've asked for.
Research shows limited screen time can be compatible with balanced development. The likelihood of parents looking at books with infants daily decreases only when screen time surpasses two hours. For babies watching up to two hours daily, there is much less or no link to other activities, and an increase to two hours is associated with more pretend play, turn-taking, and singing. Limited screen time does not automatically conflict with children having an active and balanced early childhood, suggesting moderate use may be manageable.
Broader trends in parent-child interaction and language development research highlight concerns. New research from the National Literacy Trust found a 25% drop in parents playing with their children daily since 2019. Research led by Dr Samuel Forbes and Prof John Spencer found that children exposed to better interactions and engaging language had greater myelination, aiding language processing. Studies link high screen time, around five hours daily, to significantly fewer words spoken by children compared to those with around 44 minutes, indicating potential language delays.
The government is separately consulting on measures to keep children safe online, including possibly making it illegal for under-16s to access many social media sites, as part of broader efforts to protect young people.
Unanswered questions remain about the evidence basis and implementation of the guidance. It is unclear what specific evidence from the Children of the 2020s study directly informed the new government guidance, or how the government will enforce or promote adherence to the screen time recommendations.
Further unknowns involve content criteria and international comparisons. The exact criteria for 'slow-paced, age-appropriate content' recommended in the guidance have not been detailed, and it is uncertain how the screen time recommendations align with or differ from existing international guidelines.
Long-term outcomes and enforcement mechanisms also lack clarity. What long-term developmental outcomes are expected from following the new guidance, based on current research, remains unspecified, and enforcement approaches are undefined, leaving gaps in understanding its full impact.