GoKawiilMore than two-thirds of babies under two use screens, a report has found, and some are exposed for up to eight hours a day.
Nearly a third of newborns were found to be watching screens for more than three hours a day, while almost 20 per cent of infants of four to 11 months used screens for more than an hour a day.
The report comes after the government issued guidance that children under two do not use screens at all, apart from communal activities such as video-calling relatives.
There is a “reality gap” between government advice and everyday use of screens, say researchers Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
The report, from the 1001 Critical Days Foundation and the iAddict research group, involved a survey, a focus group and a literature review to examine the extent and potential impact of infant screen use.
The findings demonstrate a “reality gap” between government advice and everyday life, the foundation said.
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Will Quince, the former education and health minister and the chief executive of the Foundation, added: “The burden of screen time cannot fall solely on parents. Tech companies must wake up to the realities of the impact of screen time on babies. Content ratings are currently misleading parents, rating content as ‘suitable for all ages’ or ‘suitable for 0+’. We are calling on major tech companies to urgently review these standards.”
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In a review of the current research, researchers found evidence linking screen time to poorer outcomes for children, including an increased risk of obesity, short-sightedness, sleep and behavioural difficulties, and later challenges with friendships.
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