How much screen time should 5-year-old have? UK govt issues new advice for parents

The UK government has issued a landmark guidance on screen time for children under five. The direction is issued in response to parents’ calls for clear, evidence-based advice on using digital gadgets.

For the first time, families have trusted recommendations supported by real-time data.

In the guidance, the government issued that children aged five years or younger should have no more than one hour of screen time daily.

However, it is important to note that the screentime should be avoided entirely during meal times and an hour before bed.

For children under two, screens should be avoided entirely except for shared activities that promote bonding and interaction.

The guideline label shares activities such as “video calling with friends and family or looking through digital photo albums together.”

For the one-hour screen time, experts recommend that the content that is preferable for children must be slow-paced, predictable, and safe.

There’s a need to avoid social media completely, and the platforms that are accessed for watching content must be under parental control to avoid any inappropriate and harmful content.

Parents are also urged to avoid AI in any form (toys, tools, chatbots) until more research is conducted on how they affect children. Additionally, interactive robots, smart speakers, or AI chat apps should also be avoided.

Research found an alarming situation where 98% of two-year-olds watch screens daily, and a quarter of parents of three-to-five-year-olds struggle to control their child’s screen time in the UK.

Noting the situation, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, “Parenting in a digital world can feel relentless. Screens are everywhere, and the advice is often conflicting. My government will not leave parents to face this battle alone.”

The guideline is developed by an expert panel led by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza.