The United Kingdom has urged parents to limit young children’s screen time, recommending no screen time before age 2 and a maximum of one hour per day for children aged 2 to 5. The government emphasizes that prolonged solitary screen use can disrupt sleep and hinder physical and playful activities.
Around the world, governments are tightening regulations around minors’ digital usage. Countries like France, Denmark, and the Netherlands are advocating for new age verification and security requirements, citing risks to mental health, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful content.
Indonesia has also imposed strict restrictions: those under 16 will be banned from accessing Roblox starting Saturday, after the government classified the platform as high risk.
The British recommendations on the use of tablets, televisions, laptops, and smartphones, published on Thursday, mark the government’s most explicit intervention to date on early childhood digital habits, after admitting that parents had been left to fight against devices alone.
PARENTS SHARE THEIR DIFFICULTIES WITH SCREEN TIME
Official figures show that a quarter of UK parents with children aged 3 to 5 report difficulties controlling screen time, while 98% of 2-year-olds use screens daily.
The guide advises parents to ban screens during meals and an hour before bedtime, to prioritize content at a slow pace and age-appropriate, and to watch programs alongside children to promote language and social development.
“My government will not let parents fight this battle alone,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement. He added that families needed “clear and common sense” guidance in the face of rapidly evolving technologies and online misinformation.
An expert panel behind these recommendations suggested avoiding fast-paced social media-style videos and certain AI toys for young children. However, digital assistive technologies used by children with special educational needs should not be systematically restricted.
The UK and other European governments are also exploring broader online safety measures for older children, including potential minimum ages for social media, nighttime curfews, and restrictions on AI conversational agents (chatbots).
On Wednesday, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google guilty of negligence regarding features that allegedly harmed a young user, in a test case that could influence thousands of similar lawsuits.
