About the consultation
In 2019, the UK’s Chief Medical Officers published advice for parents and carers on children’s screen-based activities.
While the government continues to closely monitor the emerging evidence base on the causal relationship between screen time, social media and children’s health, in early 2026 it asked a panel of experts to review the currently available advice on early years screen time and produce new government guidance for parents.
This call for evidence sought information the panel should consider when producing the new guidance.
See the call for evidence on the DfE web page
Our response
The ‘early years’ group of children aged 0-5 are in a fundamental stage of development. We know that maximising development in these early years can have lifelong impacts and that poor development at this age can seriously alter an individual’s life course health and wellbeing trajectory.
As with all ages, for the 0-5 age group, screen time can displace positive activities. Analysis of what leads to positive wellbeing has consistently supported socialising, good sleep, diet and exercise as positive influences.
RCPCH does not currently formally endorse resources on screen time, however there are a range of helpful evidence-based resources which paediatricians may wish to refer to when discussing screen time with children, young people and their families.
- RCPCH supports the WHO recommendation (PDF) of screen time use for children under 5, which suggests time limits for no more than 1 hour per day of screen time for children aged 2 to 4 years.
- Health Professionals for Safer Screens has produced a guidance poster (PDF) outlining tips for healthier screen time in under 5’s, which provides practical suggestions for reducing screen time in this age group.
- NCT New Baby courses for new parents and babies also provide up-to-date parenting information, including managing screen time effectively.
Any guidance should be clear on the role of health professionals as a trusted source of information in talking to parents around managing empirical screen time in children, ensuring that every contact with health professionals counts in the early years setting for providing appropriate information to parents around screen time.