Three-quarters of nine-month-olds in England have ‘daily screen time’ | Children’s health

While three-quarters of nine-month-old babies in England are allowed daily screen time, a small “heavy use” group watch screens for more than three hours a day. According to a study.

According to research by the Education Policy Institute (EPI), only 2% of the babies participating in the study watched for more than three hours a day, and the average time was 41 minutes.

The researchers found that parents of different income levels made similar choices for their nine-month-old children and concluded that screen time and a healthy, active childhood “are not necessarily mutually exclusive.”

They said policymakers should support parents’ use of digital devices to enhance child development and parent-infant bonding, rather than “demonizing” screens and reducing exposure.

The research, based on data from 8,000 families in England, Children of the 2020s are studyingexplores the prevalence and intensity of screen time among nine-month-old infants.

It was determined that 72 percent of the babies in the sample had experienced at least some screen time by nine months of age, while just over a quarter (28%) had no screen experience at all.

The more siblings a baby has, the less likely he or she is to be reported watching a screen. While four out of five babies (80%) without siblings spent time in front of the screen, three out of five babies (57%) with four or more siblings spent time in front of the screen.

Babies in single-parent homes watched television for an average of 47 minutes a day, while this time in two-parent homes was 39 minutes. Differences by parental education and income were not significant.

The researchers also looked at the relationship between screen use and other activities and found that babies in the heavy-use group were significantly less likely to experience regular enrichment activities, such as reading, singing or going outside.

The Department for Education (DfE) is about to publish guidance for parents on screen time for under-fives, amid concerns that excessive screen time could harm young children’s speaking skills.

Dr Tammy Campbell, EPI’s director of early years, inequalities and wellbeing, said: “This research is one piece of a widening jigsaw of current evidence and adds new information for a very new, nationally representative group of babies.

“This shows that when it comes to babies and screens, parents of different income levels make similar choices for their children. It also shows that screen time and a healthy, active childhood are not necessarily mutually exclusive.”

“So a lot of the conversation needs to move from ‘how much’ to ‘what’ and ‘why.’ It’s about how and when a screen is used for shared, interactive play or passive viewing. And it’s about why use is high among a very small group of babies who experience more than three hours a day.”

“Policy making and guidance should help families use digital tools to enhance development, bonding and enjoyment of infancy, rather than focusing on demonizing any use and cutting down on minutes.”

England’s children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza, co-chair of the panel that produced the government guidance, said: “Parents today are raising children in a world where screens are part of everyday life; for many, especially in the early months of a child’s life, it can be difficult to know what the right balance is.

“That’s why I’m delighted to be co-chairing a group creating the first government guidance on screen time for children under five, because the context in which screens are used within families at home is so important.

“As the children’s commissioner, I understand that screens are both a help and a source of concern for parents, which is why the upcoming early years guidance will provide clear, reliable advice and give parents confidence in managing how their children see screens.”

A Ministry of Education spokesperson said: “Parents have told us they want clear, practical and non-judgmental advice on screen use for children under five as they raise their children in the digital world.

“That’s why we’re working urgently to publish the first government guidance for parents on young children’s screen use, which is backed by an independent expert-led review of the evidence and informed by parents’ own experiences, so the advice reflects real family life.”