LONDON: The UK government on Friday published its first national guidance on screen time for children, advising parents to allow no more than an hour a day for under-fives.
The guidance comes amid a wider global debate on how to keep children safe online and in particular on the potential perils of phones and social media.
The UK recommendations include no screen time at all for children under the age of two and the avoidance of “fast-paced social media-style videos and AI toys or tools”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was discussing the suggestions during a visit on Friday to a school in south London.
He said in a statement his government was committed to helping parents get the balance right in a world in which screens were “everywhere and the advice is often conflicting”.
The government would “not leave parents to face this battle alone”, he vowed.
Solo viewing should also be limited in favour of watching screens together, in an environment that encouraged discussion and questions, it added. The pointers follows a consultation with more than 1,000 parents on how to build healthy viewing habits.
There has been concern after a report by the early years charity Kindred Squared found that 28 percent of children starting school aged five could not use a book properly, with many attempting to “swipe” pages like a tablet or phone.
