Children under the age of two should not be exposed to any screens whatsoever and teenagers should have no more than three hours of screen time a day, according to guidelines announced by health authorities in Sweden.
Parents and guardians should think about how they use screens with their children and tell them what they are doing on their phones when they use them in their presence, the advice says.
The guidelines, announced on Monday, mark the first time that Folkhälsomyndigheten, Sweden’s public health authority, has stipulated how parents should regulate screen time.
Screen use among two- to five-year-olds should be limited to a maximum of one hour, while children aged between six and 12 should not use screens for more than two hours. Among 13- to 18-year-olds, the limit is three hours.
This is a sharp reduction on the current average screen time figures among Swedish children and young people, which is estimated to be four hours a day for nine- to 12-year-olds and more than seven hours a day – not including schoolwork – for 17- and 18-year-olds.
“For far too long we have allowed screens and apps to steal time and attention at the cost of what we know is needed to feel well. We know that use of digital media can have negative health effects, including worsened sleep and symptoms of depression,” said the minister of social affairs, Jakob Forssmed.
“With these age-appropriate recommendations there is now an important support for children and young people, parents and other caregivers, for a more healthy, conscious and responsible use of screens and digital media.”
The health agency also recommended that children do not use screens before bedtime and that screens should not be allowed in bedrooms at night.
“Children’s health is paying the price for tech companies’ profits,” said Forssmed.
The guidelines, which are targeted at both adults and children, also include motivation and advice on how to think about the issue.
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Forssmed said there were now “concrete and clear recommendations” to make it easier to start up conversations around the subject, including time spent online, what happens there and what children can be exposed to. “There are important and needed conversations,” he added.
Helena Frielingsdorf, a public health authority investigator, said parents must set an example to children when it comes to screen use. “As parents you are a role model.”
Earlier this year, a three-month scientific study in France, commissioned by the president, Emmanuel Macron, concluded that children under three should not be exposed to screens, including television, and no child should have a phone before the age of 11.
Schools in France are trialling a ban on mobile phones at school for pupils up to the age of 15, as part of a “digital pause” that could be rolled out nationally from January if successful.
The Swedish government has previously said it is considering a ban on smartphones in primary schools.