They suggest that children younger than five years old should have less than one hour per day of screen time. This new advice provides the first evidence-based and easy-to-follow guidelines for parents. It supports their efforts to break free from the constraints of hyper-stimulating, rapid-fire children’s media. This is an important step, as young children’s healthy development can be supported by monitoring how screens are used and for what purpose.
The rules further recommend that kids younger than 2 years old not interact with screens by themselves at all. TV execs and policymakers want parents to co-view more media with their kids. This hands-on, inquisitive approach welcomes discussion and collaboration with the content and each other. This method works to counteract any harmful impacts associated with solo screen time. It tackles preventing things like disrupted sleep patterns and decreased physical activity. Both sleep and physical activity are very important to healthy development during early childhood.
It comes as no surprise, then, that research shows almost 98% of children are watching screens every day by the time they turn two years old. In the last two or three decades, children’s programming has changed completely. Today’s children’s shows are higher tempo, with lots more cutting around and fast chatter that keeps the little ones glued to a screen. This move to expensive user fees must be carefully scrutinized. Research indicates an association between emotional dysregulation—the inability to control one’s emotional reactions—and exposure to overstimulating, disorienting media.
Prof. Sam Wass explains the alarming physiological responses set off by such shock-inducing content.
“If stuff is coming at us too fast, something called the fight or flight stress system kicks in, where your heart starts beating faster and you start to get a lot of energy released to your muscles,” – Prof. Sam Wass.
This reaction, Prof. Wass argues, is actually counterproductive—to the children. They often are sedentary, more stuck to the screen than the street. He highlights that these experiences can lead to moments where a child’s brain cannot keep pace with the content’s speed.
The guidance will be updated as more evidence comes to light about the impact of screen time on young children.
“I know there are lots of pressures on families and the intention behind the guidance is not to be judgmental, but to be supportive and to provide that clear practical help that parents have been telling us they really want to see,” said Phillipson, a spokesperson for the initiative.
Parents share both excitement and concern about the latest recommendations. Alexis, a mother of two, understands the challenge in limiting children’s screen time while encouraging educational growth.
“It does make me feel guilty for doing it, but you’re not always going to be getting out of bed bouncing with them at six o’clock and setting up art and crafts,” – Alexis.
Vicki Shotbolt, a digital literacy advocate, recognizes the omnipresence of technology in children’s lives but supports the guidance as a starting point.
“It’s hard to tell them not to when you’re doing it yourself,” – Marciel.
Vicki Shotbolt, a digital literacy advocate, recognizes the omnipresence of technology in children’s lives but supports the guidance as a starting point.
“So the idea that we can completely keep them away from it is probably flawed, but it’s good general guidance,” – Vicki Shotbolt.
