HHS releases family toolkit on screen time

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a new advisory and companion toolkit on May 20 warning that harmful screen use among children and adolescents has become a public health concern. The materials were issued by the Office of the Surgeon General and framed as guidance for families, schools, health providers, researchers, policymakers and technology companies. HHS said national estimates show adolescents average seven to nine hours a day on entertainment screens and that many use devices right before bed. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the agency was responding to evidence linking excessive and harmful screen use to anxiety, depression, obesity and developmental challenges. ### What exactly did HHS release? HHS said on May 20 that it published “Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use: An Advisory and Toolkit on How to Protect Children and Adolescents.” The press release said the package was meant to raise awareness of the risks associated with excessive and harmful screen use and to give families and schools steps they can use immediately. (hhs.gov) The advisory covers children and adolescents ages 0 to 18, according to the document. The report says it drew on input from psychologists, pediatricians, behavioral scientists, academic researchers and health communicators. ### Does the federal guidance focus on minutes, or on how screens are being used? The HHS materials include suggested daily limits, but the family guidance goes beyond a simple time cap. (hhs.gov) The toolkit tells families to create a media plan covering who can use which screens, where, when, what content is allowed and for how long. It also tells parents to talk about both the time children spend on screens and the content they encounter there. (hhs.gov) The Hill, summarizing the guidance on May 21, highlighted the “5 Ds” for parents: discuss, do, delay, divert and disconnect. Those steps include talking about healthy screen use, modeling the behavior parents want children to follow, delaying screen exposure in early childhood, redirecting children toward other activities and setting screen-free times for the family. (hhs.gov) ### What does the toolkit tell families to do at home? The toolkit says families should be present with children during screen-free time, create a family media plan and remove devices from children’s bedrooms overnight. It also recommends using parental controls, monitoring what children are viewing online and setting household routines for disconnecting, such as at mealtimes. (thehill.com) KVIA, citing the toolkit and advisory, reported on May 21 that HHS also urged adults to model healthy screen use because children watch how adults use devices. The outlet said the agency recommended redirecting children toward sports, homework and creative hobbies. ### What warning signs does HHS say parents should watch for? HHS said warning signs of harmful screen use include irritability when devices are taken away, secrecy around online behavior, withdrawal from offline activities and repeated attempts to cut back without success. (hhs.gov) The press release also cited risks including online exploitation, harmful or age-inappropriate content, substance-use promotion and dangerous viral challenges. (kvia.com) The Hill reported that the advisory also flags using screens to feel better, emotional withdrawal when screens are unavailable and reduced in-person interaction as signs that screen use may be becoming harmful. ### What age-based limits does the toolkit suggest? The family toolkit says suggested screen time limits could be none for children under 18 months, less than one hour a day for children under 6, and two hours a day for ages 6 to 18. (hhs.gov) Those figures appear in the HHS toolkit itself and were also highlighted in coverage by The Hill and other outlets. (thehill.com) HHS posted both the advisory and the toolkit on its website on May 20, and the materials include separate sections for families, schools and community organizations. The school guidance calls for reducing or banning non-instructional device use and expanding opportunities for in-person engagement, according to the agency’s release. (hhs.gov 1) (hhs.gov 2)