Overview
- Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a national working group led by Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner, with terms of reference due to be published today and guidance co-designed with parents and practitioners.
- A government survey of 4,758 primary caregivers found 98% of two-year-olds use screens daily, averaging 127 minutes on TV, video and digital content, rising to 140 minutes when games are included.
- Average use exceeds the World Health Organization’s one-hour recommendation, and analysis ties heavier exposure to poorer language outcomes, including 53% of test words for five-hour users versus 65% for those at about 44 minutes.
- Researchers identified 86 minutes per day as the point where screen use most harms language development, while noting no smaller overall vocabularies compared with surveys from 2017 to 2020.
- Ministers say screen time is crowding out talking, play and reading, and promise practical, non-judgmental advice to help families use devices well and find alternatives.