Screen time for children — what the recommendations say and why

Since 2024, there have been official Swedish guidelines on screen time for children: The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends no screen time at all for children under two years of age, a maximum of one hour a day for children aged between two and five, one to two hours for those aged six to twelve, and two to three hours for teenagers. These figures apply to leisure time, not schoolwork. They are not based on screen time being proven to be harmful — research is divided on this — but on what screen time risks taking time away from: sleep, physical activity and time spent with others.

The recommendations, age group by age group

The Public Health Agency’s recommendations divide children and young people into four groups:

• Under 2 years: no screen time.
• 2–5 years: no more than 1 hour a day.
• 6–12 years: no more than 1–2 hours a day.
• 13–18 years: no more than 2–3 hours a day.

In addition to these time limits, the recommendations highlight a few points that are often overlooked: screens should not be used immediately before bedtime or kept in the bedroom at night, and parents should be mindful of what their children are doing on the screen, not just how long they are using it for. Please check the latest version on the Public Health Agency of Sweden’s website yourself, as the recommendations are updated.

It’s about what screen time takes away from

It is easy to interpret the recommendations as a warning that screens are dangerous. That is not quite what they are saying. The reasoning is rather that there are only a certain number of hours in a day, and that children need plenty of sleep, physical activity and socialising with others to thrive and develop. Every hour spent in front of a screen is an hour that isn’t spent on any of those things.

This also explains why sleep is given such prominence. A screen in the bedroom risks delaying bedtime and disrupting sleep, and a lack of sleep affects everything from mood to concentration the following day.

The research is divided — let’s call a spade a spade

There is a lively debate about just how harmful screens really are for children and young people, and it’s worth being aware of it.

Amy Orben and Andrew Przybylski analysed large datasets involving hundreds of thousands of young people. They found a negative correlation between the use of digital technology and well-being, but it was very small — so small that other everyday factors in the same data showed correlations of a similar magnitude.

On the other side is, amongst others, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who in his book *The Anxious Generation* argues that smartphones and social media are a major cause of increased mental ill-health amongst young people, and that society should take strong action.

Both sides are serious researchers, and they draw partly different conclusions from partly the same data. The honest truth is that the issue has not been settled. The Public Health Agency of Sweden’s recommendations should be seen as a precautionary principle — a reasonable course of action when one is not certain — not as proof that screens are harmful.

Children do as you do

The awkward part of the issue isn’t about the children. Children learn habits just as much by watching what adults do as by listening to what adults say. A parent who limits their child’s screen time but has their phone in their hand at dinner is teaching a different rule to the one they’re saying out loud.

That is why screen time for children almost always becomes a question of adults’ habits as well. How this looks from the children’s perspective, and what effect it has on the relationship between parent and child, is described in the article on mobile phones in front of children.

How to put the recommendations into practice

Start with the bedroom. No screens in the bedroom at night is the easiest rule to explain, and the one that most directly protects sleep. Charge all phones in the same place, including the adults’ ones.

Think about content, not just time. An hour’s video call with Grandma isn’t the same as an hour alone with auto-play.

Make screen-free times a shared experience. Mealtimes and the last hour before bedtime work best if the whole family sticks to them.

Count leisure time, not schoolwork. The recommendations apply to leisure time, so homework and schoolwork aren’t included.

If you’d like to compare this with the situation for adults, you can read the article on how much screen time is too much, and the broader picture of screen habits can be found in the guide on how to stop scrolling. If you’re concerned about a child’s wellbeing or behaviour, speak to child health services, the school health service or a healthcare professional — an article is no substitute for a professional assessment.

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The Zenith Protocol is a 30-day programme for impulse control, designed for adults who want to change their own screen habits — often the first step towards changing their family’s. It’s free to get started.