Surgeon General warns about screen time

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a Surgeon General advisory on May 20 warning that harmful screen use among children and adolescents has become a public-health concern. The advisory says excessive and harmful screen use is associated with lower academic performance and risks to mental and physical health, and it calls on schools, communities and governments to act. (hhs.gov) ABC News reported the agency urged children to put down their phones and “be in the moment,” while stopping short of setting a universal national time limit. Education Week reported the advisory also reaches directly into school policy. The publication said the Surgeon General’s office recommended that schools limit student screen time, invest in physical textbooks and place more emphasis on paper-and-pencil assignments and curriculum materials. (hhs.gov) ### What exactly did the government release? HHS said on May 20 that the Office of the Surgeon General published “The Harms of Screen Use,” described as an advisory and toolkit on how to protect children and adolescents. The department said the document was intended to raise national awareness of the risks associated with excessive and harmful screen use among young people. (hhs.gov) The HHS advisory page says the warning focuses on children and adolescents from birth through age 18. The document says children are now growing up surrounded by televisions, computers, tablets and smartphones, and it frames the issue as one requiring action from families, schools, communities and government. (edweek.org) ### What harms does the advisory link to screen use? The HHS materials say harmful screen use is associated with worse mental and physical health outcomes. ABC News reported the advisory linked excessive youth screen time to lower academic performance, anxiety, depression and reduced physical and mental health. (hhs.gov) Education Week’s account focused on classroom implications. The publication said the advisory recommends schools reduce screen exposure in order to improve focus, learning and students’ physical and mental health. ### Did the advisory call for hard time limits? ABC News reported the advisory did not set specific nationwide screen-time limits. Instead, the recommendation was broader: reduce harmful and excessive use and shift cultural norms around children’s device exposure. (hhs.gov) The official HHS page uses similar language. It says support from schools, communities and governments can help “shift the cultural norms around screens” and make children “healthier and happier nationwide.” (hhs.gov) ### Why are schools singled out in this warning? Education Week reported the Surgeon General’s office explicitly told schools to limit student screen time and lean more heavily on non-digital materials. (edweek.org) That recommendation puts classroom device use inside a health framework as well as an instructional one. The HHS advisory says schools are among the institutions that can translate the warning into action. The PDF summary says the document outlines steps schools and states are already taking to limit screen time during school hours. (abcnews.com) ### Where can readers find the full advisory? HHS posted the advisory, toolkit and supporting materials on its Surgeon General website on May 20. (hhs.gov) The main landing page and the PDF version are both available through HHS.gov. The next step is likely to play out in school systems and statehouses. Education Week reported the recommendations include school-level changes such as greater use of textbooks and paper assignments, while HHS said communities and governments should be part of the response. (edweek.org) (hhs.gov 1) (hhs.gov 2)