The guidance to parents on screen time for two to five-year-olds will advise them to "try to keep it to one hour a day"
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Children under five should have no more than an hour of screen time per day, the Government is warning parents.
Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to help parents curb the amount of time spent by their kids on electronic devices, as the Government continues to weigh up a ban on social media for under-16s altogether.
Under new advice, screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities encouraging interaction.
The Prime Minister has promised the new guidance would help families to keep children safe and make sure they build healthy habits with screens.
He said: "Parenting in a digital world can feel relentless. Screens are everywhere, and the advice is often conflicting.
"My Government will not leave parents to face this battle alone."
Sir Keir added: "There will be some who will oppose us doing this, but whether it’s navigating technology, tackling the cost of living or balancing the demands of family life, I will always stand on the side of parents doing their best for their children."
The guidance to parents on screen time for two to five-year-olds will advise them to "try to keep it to one hour a day. Less is possible".
For the screen time that two to five-year-olds do have, families will be advised to avoid fast-paced social media-style videos and toys or tools that use artificial intelligence (AI).
Bedtimes and mealtimes should be screen-free, with recommendations instead pointing to trying background music, table games, bedtime stories, and colouring.
Around 98 per cent of children are watching screens on a daily basis by the age of two, the Government has previously said, and those with the highest screen time see an impact on their language.
The guidance was developed by a panel led by children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and children’s health expert Professor Russell Viner.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: "I know how hard it is to navigate parenting in a world full of screens.
"They're unavoidable, but it often feels impossible to tell whether you’re getting the balance right.
"That's why we’re giving parents the clear, trusted support they've asked for – so families can make informed choices, and children can have the childhood they deserve."
Prof Viner, a professor in adolescent health at University College London, said: "Too much solo screen time can crowd out the things that make the biggest difference – sleep, play, physical activity and talking with parents and carers."
The panel also recommended in its report that parents should think about their own screen use in the presence of their children, and consider screen-free periods of the day for the whole family.
Dr Mike McKean, vice-president for policy at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "The growing emphasis on online and digital spaces has made childhood an even more challenging period for parents to navigate.
"For many years now parents and professionals have been forced to play a dangerous game of catch up, desperately trying to find the right balance for their children."
