UK to offer parents of children under five screen time guidance

The UK government states that it’s developing the first national guidance on screen use for kids under five years of age, in response to concerns that excessive time spent in front of computers, phones, and TVs may be hindering the development of young children.

The work is being led by the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner, a former scientific advisor for the Department of Education.

The guidance is due to be published in April.

It comes as government research was published showing that about 98% of children under two in the UK were watching screens on a daily basis.

Children with the highest screen time – around five hours a day – reportedly could say significantly fewer words than those at the other end of the scale who watched for around 44 minutes.

The announcement comes after the Conservative opposition in the UK said on Sunday that it would follow Australia’s example by banning under-16s from accessing social media if it wins power.

Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch said her party would also seek to ban smartphones in schools if it were to enter office.

Speaking to the BBC, she said many parents wanted to stop their children using social media, but “don’t know how.”

Australia became the first country to introduce a social media ban for under-16s last month.

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