children screen time guidance from the government says children under the age of five should be limited to one hour a day, and under-twos must not watch screens alone. Published on Friday in England, the evidence-backed guidance tells parents to avoid fast-paced videos, use screens together and to try “screen swaps”—replacing screen moments with reading or simple games. Officials say the step responds to concerns that long solo periods on devices can harm sleep and physical activity, which are key to early development.
Children Screen Time: Key guidance
The guidance sets out practical measures aimed at reducing harmful patterns of use. It advises that children under five should be limited to one hour of screen use a day, and that under-twos should not be left watching screens alone. It warns against fast-paced videos and recommends that parents engage with children during screen use rather than leaving them to use devices alone. The guidance also suggests practical “screen swaps”—for example, putting screens aside to read stories together or to play simple games at mealtimes.
The government frames children screen time as context-dependent: shared, engaged viewing is linked in the guidance to better cognitive development than solo use. The document covers all types of screen use, including computers, tablets, mobile phones and televisions, and is presented as the first evidence-backed, practical advice issued by the government on this topic. Officials note that about 98% of children are watching screens on a daily basis by the age of two and that engagement with more than a thousand parents informed the guidance; the Department for Education cites that roughly 24% of parents of three- to five-year-olds find it hard to control their child’s screen time.
Immediate reactions and next steps
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said, “This is still quite an unknown area in lots of respects and we’ve taken a precautionary approach. ” Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s commissioner for England, and Professor Russell Viner, Department for Education scientific adviser, reviewed the latest evidence and found that long periods spent on screens alone can affect children’s sleep and physical activity. The government says the guidance will be kept under review as more evidence emerges and that it forms part of wider action to support children’s wellbeing in the digital world.
The guidance is being published alongside a government consultation on potential further measures to keep children safe online, including questions about age limits for access to some social media platforms. Parents are given free access to the advice official government channels and are encouraged to lead by example because the guidance warns that children will copy adult screen habits.
What happens next will be closely watched: ministers plan to review the guidance as new evidence appears, and the consultation on wider online protections could lead to policy changes. For now, the central message is clear and practical—limit and share screen moments, swap screens for stories or play, and treat children screen time as something to manage actively rather than ignore.
