Government answers parents’ calls for support on screen time with new evidence-backed guidance
Parents of young children are facing a constant battle with screens. Now, for the first time, the government is stepping in with clear, trusted guidance to help families navigate it.
Following weeks of engagement with over a thousand parents who called for clear support on how much screen time is too much, and how to build healthy habits, the government is delivering on its promise to provide judgement-free, practical support if they need it.
Some will oppose stepping in, but we are clear: if the choice is between standing back or supporting parents to keep children safe, this government will always act.
Currently, parents are left to navigate fast‑moving technology alone – with a quarter (24%) of parents of 3‑ to 5‑year‑olds finding it hard to control their child’s screen time, and 98% of two‑year‑olds watching screens every day.
This underlines the need for support, which is why we are giving parents the clear, trusted tools they need to cut through uncertainty and conflicting advice online.
The new guidance is available for free on the Best Start in Life website, with key tips including:
This also forms part of wider action to support all children’s wellbeing in the digital world – running alongside the government’s consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
A report by early years charity Kindred Squared found that 28% of UK children starting reception cannot use a book properly, with many attempting to “swipe” or tap physical pages like a tablet.
With 90% of children’s development happening before the age of five, parents are being supported to make safe screen swaps like reading bedtime stories together or playing simple games at mealtimes.
The suggested swaps prioritise straightforward activities to help children with the social, emotional and language skills to give them the best start in life, so they can start school ready to learn.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:
The guidance is underpinned by the findings of an expert panel report led by the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner, a paediatrician and expert in children’s health.
The expert panel reviewed the latest scientific evidence on screen use in under-5s, and found that long periods of time spent on screens alone can get in the way of activities critical for development like sleep, physical activity, creative play, and interaction with parents.
But not all screen use is equal. The evidence shows that watching screens with an engaged adult where parents talk and ask questions is linked to better cognitive development than solo use, that slow-paced content is far better for development than fast-paced social media-style videos, and that time limits shouldn’t apply in the same way for screen-based assistive technologies to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said:
Professor of Paediatrics and Adolescent Health, University College London, Russell Viner said:
Professor Sam Wass, University of East London, Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years said:
Frank Young, CEO of Parentkind said:
Today’s guidance is the latest step in the government’s plan to break down barriers to opportunity.
Central to this is the rollout of Best Start Family Hubs, with hundreds of new hubs set to open across the country next week, bringing parenting advice, services and community support closer to families who need it most. The screen time guidance will be available through the hubs, giving parents access to the advice face-to-face as well as online.
The guidance is also supported by The Dollywood Foundation UK, home of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which sends free age-appropriate books to children aged 0-5 in parts of the country through the government’s Best Start Family Hubs.
Steve Korris, Executive Director, The Dollywood Foundation UK said:
Proposed measures in the government’s wider consultation on social media include a minimum age for social media, raising the digital age of consent, overnight curfews for certain age groups, restrictions on AI chatbots for young people, and whether school mobile phone guidance should be made statutory.
New legal powers taken through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will allow the government to act quickly on the outcomes of the consultation.
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