Overview
- Government-commissioned data from more than 4,700 caregivers show 98% of two-year-olds use screens on a typical day for an average of about 127–129 minutes.
- Only about a third of toddlers met the WHO recommendation of one hour or less, and roughly one in five regularly played computer games.
- Higher daily screen time was linked to poorer early vocabulary, with the highest-use group averaging 53% of 34 test words compared with 65% for the lowest-use group after accounting for background factors.
- Children with the most screen time were about twice as likely to have emotional and behavioural difficulties as those with the least exposure (39% vs 17%), though the study does not prove causation.
- The Department for Education has convened a national working group led by Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner to shape first-time guidance due in April, with officials stressing practical, non-judgmental advice and the limits of the evidence.