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Swedish Health Agency Advises Against Screen Time for Toddlers

September 4, 2024 TruthUSA

The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that children under 2 years old should not use digital media at all.

Parents are advised by Sweden’s Public Health Agency to limit their children’s screen time to achieve a better balance between screen use and real-life experiences.

In a press release on September 2, the agency stated that children under 2 should avoid digital media, while older children should have restricted use to ensure they do not miss out on essential aspects of life.

The agency suggests that children aged 2–5 should use screens for a maximum of 1 hour per day, those aged 6–12 for 1–2 hours, and those aged 13–18 for 2–3 hours.

Additionally, children should not use screens before bedtime, and devices like mobile phones and tablets should be kept outside the bedroom at night.

Parents are encouraged to set rules and actively monitor the content children are exposed to on digital media, according to the agency.

Dr. Helena Frielingsdorf, an investigator at the agency, reported that many young people expressed concerns about the effects of digital media use and expressed a desire to change their habits.

The agency’s report in June highlighted the negative impact of excessive digital media use, including poor sleep, depressive symptoms, and body image concerns.

The recent guidelines aim to maintain a healthy balance between screen time and other essential aspects of life like physical activity, sleep, and other health-promoting activities for children and young people, while also reducing exposure to inappropriate content.

Sweden is not the only country in Europe taking action against excessive screen time.

In November 2023, the Netherlands implemented a ban on mobile devices in classrooms starting in the 2024–25 school year.

Last May, experts presented a report to French President Emmanuel Macron on the effects of screen exposure on young people.

Screen Exposure Harms

Several studies have outlined the detrimental effects of prolonged screen time on children.

A study from Japan in 2023 followed over 7,000 mother-child pairs and found that infants spending one to four hours in front of a screen were at risk of delays in crucial developmental skills.

Another study from Canada in 2019 warned that excessive screen time raised the risk of developing ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.

An August 2023 study from Canada revealed that children’s screen time significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, exceeding the recommended limits set by the Canadian Pediatric Society.

The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommends limiting non-educational screen time to one hour on weekdays and three hours on weekends for children aged 2–5 years old.

For infants aged 18–24 months, screen time should be restricted to educational programs watched with a caregiver, and video chatting is permissible under adult supervision until 18 months.

In October, Republican lawmakers introduced The Eyes on the Board Act to address screen time in schools and promote parental limits on children’s social media access.

The proposed legislation aims to require schools receiving federal funding to adopt a screen time policy and limit access to distracting social media apps.

While some groups support the proposed legislation, the Electronic Frontier Foundation opposes it, calling it a misguided attempt to limit social media use for teens.

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