Screen Time Guidance for Young Children Varies Across Health Authorities

Health organizations have issued varying recommendations regarding screen time for children under five, with guidelines focusing on age-specific limits and content quality.

The World Health Organization’s 2019 guidelines advise that infants younger than one year should not have any sedentary screen time. For children aged one to two years, the WHO suggests limiting sedentary screen time to no more than one hour per day, with less being preferable. The same one-hour limit applies to children aged three to four years according to the WHO.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children younger than 18 to 24 months should avoid screen time, except for video chatting. For children aged two to five years, the Academy advises a maximum of one hour per day, emphasizing high-quality, educational content and discouraging fast-paced or distracting programming.

The Mayo Clinic also supports restricting screen time for children aged two to five years to one hour daily, focusing on high-quality programming. Their guidance includes avoiding violent or fast-paced content and encourages parents or caregivers to co-view when possible.

What the numbers show

• WHO recommends zero sedentary screen time for children under 1 year
• WHO and RCPCH advise no more than one hour per day for ages 1-4
• American Academy of Pediatrics and Mayo Clinic set a one-hour daily limit for ages 2-5

In the United Kingdom, there are no formal government-issued screen time guidelines for young children. However, health authorities such as the NHS and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have suggested that children aged two to five years should have no more than one hour of screen time each day. These recommendations also highlight the importance of high-quality content and encourage co-viewing by adults.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, in its February 2026 response to a Department for Education consultation, reiterated guidance that aligns with the WHO. The College stated that infants under one year should not have any screen time, while children aged one to four years should be limited to a maximum of one hour per day, with less being preferable.

Across these organizations, there is a common emphasis on content quality and the role of adult supervision during screen time. Recommendations consistently advise avoiding fast-paced, violent, or distracting programming for young children.

While approaches differ slightly between international and national bodies, the prevailing guidance supports limiting both the duration and type of screen exposure for children under five. These recommendations are intended to help parents and caregivers manage young children’s use of digital devices in early childhood settings.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.