Sweden has urged parents not to allow young children to watch television or screens, and to limit the amount of time older children spend in front of them.
Children under two years old should be kept completely away from digital media and television, the country’s Public Health Agency said.
Children between the ages of two and five should be limited to no more than one hour of screen time a day, according to new recommendations, while those aged six to 12 should spend no more than one to two hours a day in front of a screen.
“For too long, smartphones and other screens have been allowed to enter every aspect of our children’s lives,” said Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed.
This comes after children who use their phones or watch TV during meals are much more likely to be overweight, a study has found.
Sweden’s Public Health Agency has stated that children under the age of two should be kept completely away from digital media and television (file image)
Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, said: “For too long, smartphones and other screens have been allowed to enter every aspect of our children’s lives.”
The agency also said teens ages 13 to 18 should be limited to two to three hours per day.
The minister explained that Swedish teenagers between 13 and 16 years of age spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of screens, outside of school hours.
Forssmed said this did not leave “much time for community activities, physical activity or adequate sleep”, and lamented Sweden’s “sleep crisis”, noting that more than half of 15-year-olds were not getting enough sleep.
The health agency also recommended that children not use screens before bed and that phones and tablets be kept out of the bedroom at night.
She cited research showing that excessive screen use can lead to poor sleep, depression and body dissatisfaction.
The Swedish government has previously said it is considering banning smartphones in primary schools.
In January, a study found that giving a young child an iPad for just one hour a day can harm their ability to understand the world around them.
Researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia found that any amount of screen time starting at age 1 was linked to a two-fold increased risk of unusual sensory behaviors, such as an inability to respond when their name is called.
Each additional hour of screen time doubled the risk of later sensory behavioral problems compared to children who were not exposed to digital media.