Under‑5 screen limit advised

Britain’s government has issued new guidance telling parents to avoid most screen time for children under 2 and aim for no more than one hour a day for ages 2 to 5. (gov.uk) The advice was published on March 26, 2026 by the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care, and posted on the Best Start in Life website the next day. It says screens should be kept out of mealtimes and the hour before bed. (gov.uk) (beststartinlife.gov.uk) The guidance also tells parents to choose slow-paced, age-appropriate content, avoid fast-paced social-media-style videos, and use screens together with children instead of leaving them alone with a device. It says artificial intelligence toys, tools and chatbots should be avoided for young children until there is more evidence about their effects. (beststartinlife.gov.uk) Officials said the advice followed engagement with more than 1,000 parents. Government figures cited in the launch said 24% of parents of 3- to 5-year-olds find it hard to control screen time, and 98% of 2-year-olds watch screens every day. (gov.uk) The government’s explainer says “90% of children’s development happens before the age of five” and argues that unmanaged screen use can displace sleep, physical play, creative activities and conversation with adults. It also cites Kindred Squared research saying 28% of children starting reception cannot use a book properly, with some trying to swipe or tap the page. (educationhub.blog.gov.uk) The advice is framed as parent guidance, not a legal limit, and the expert review behind it says screen use should be judged in the context of a child’s overall development. That review was commissioned by government, chaired by Professor Russell Viner and Dame Rachel de Souza, and completed between January and March 2026. (gov.uk) The expert panel said high-quality digital content can support early learning, but it “cannot substitute” for face-to-face interaction, play and exploration. It said responsive adult-child interaction remains central in the early years. (gov.uk) The new British advice broadly matches older guidance from the World Health Organization, which said in 2019 that children under 5 should spend less time watching screens and more time in active play and sleep. For 2- to 4-year-olds, the World Health Organization recommended no more than one hour of sedentary screen time a day, with less being better. (who.int) United States pediatric guidance is similar on the one-hour mark for preschoolers. The Mayo Clinic, summarizing American Academy of Pediatrics advice, says children ages 2 to 5 should be limited to one hour a day of high-quality programming and younger children should avoid most media except video chatting. (mayoclinic.org) The practical tension is the one Birmingham Live highlighted in its parent interviews: tablets and phones are already routine in family life, even as official advice gets stricter. The government’s answer is not a ban, but a set of habits — shorter sessions, shared viewing, screen-free meals and bedtime, and more time for books, play and talk. (gov.uk) (beststartinlife.gov.uk)