Families build healthy screen habits for under-fives

Expert-led work is now underway to develop the first ever government guidance on screen use for under-fives. In doing so, the government believe families will feel more confident navigating screen time with their youngest children.

Why is the government developing this new guidance?

Parents themselves are calling for clearer support. Polling from Kindred Squared shows that 40 per cent of parents say reducing screen time would help ensure their child is ready for Reception. This underlines the demand for practical, trusted guidance in the early years.

What is the government’s goal?

The government plans to publish the guidance in April 2026. The goal is to provide practical, non-judgemental tips for parents on how screen use can sit alongside activities that support children’s early development including talking, playing and reading together. With screens now embedded in adult daily life, many parents are reflecting on how their own screen habits shape the choices they make for their children.

The panel will be led by the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Russell Viner, former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education and Professor of Child and Adolescent Health at UCL. It will draw on the latest evidence and input from parents.

New government research showing links between high screen use and poorer language development in two‑year‑olds prompted the decision to develop the guidance. Findings include:

• Children with the highest screen use (around five hours a day) could say significantly fewer words than those with the lowest screen use (around 44 minutes a day)
• Screen use is near-universal in early childhood, with 98 per cent of two-year-olds watching screens daily
• At age two, 77 per cent of children in the highest-income families are read to daily. This compares to only 32 per cent in the lowest-income families

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

“Screens are part of family life now. The question parents are asking isn’t whether to use them, but how to use them well.

“We know from the evidence and from what parents and teachers are telling us that too much passive screen time can start to crowd out the talking, play and reading that are so important for children’s language and development in the early years.

“That’s why this guidance will be shaped by parents, and sit alongside Best Start Family Hubs rolling out in every local area – helping ensure our youngest children get the best start in life and can seize the opportunities ahead.”

Felicity Gillespie, director of Kindred Squared, said:

“Clear, evidence-based guidance for parents on screentime is overdue and very welcome. Research suggests just one in four adults recognises the crucial importance of our children’s first five years to lifelong health and happiness, and yet many parents know that managing their own and their children’s screentime is important.

“We must increase public understanding of how screens and devices can interfere with the way babies and toddlers learn best, which is by looking at facial expressions, chatting, singing and play.”

How will the government shape the work around families’ needs?

Engagement sessions with parents, children, early years practitioners and stakeholders will take place across England. The government believes that these sessions will allow participants to share what works in real family life. The goal is for them also to explain what support they need from the guidance.

The move comes ahead of the 13 January launch of the National Year of Reading’s “Go All In” campaign. The government says this new guidance will help families make space for reading, talk and play in the early years. They believe that it will ultimately help lay the foundations for a lifelong love of reading.