Children under the age of two should not be exposed to any screens and teenagers should not spend more than three hours a day in front of a screen, according to guidelines announced by Swedish health authorities.
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 are using them in their presence, the advice says.
The guidelines, announced Monday, mark the first time Folkhälsomyndigheten, Sweden’s public health authority, has stipulated how parents should regulate screen time.
Screen use among children aged two to five should be limited to a maximum of one hour, while children aged six to 12 should not use screens for more than two hours. Among children aged 13 to 18, the limit is three hours.
This is a drastic reduction from the average screen time currently spent by Swedish children and young people, which is estimated at four hours a day for children aged nine to twelve and more than seven hours a day (not including homework) for those aged seventeen and eighteen.
“For too long we have allowed screens and apps to steal our time and attention at the expense of what we know we need to feel good. We know that digital media use can have negative health effects, such as poorer sleep and symptoms of depression,” said Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed.
“These age-appropriate recommendations now provide important support for children and young people, parents and other caregivers, to use screens and digital media more healthily, consciously and responsibly.”
The health agency also recommended that children not use screens before bed and that screens not be allowed in bedrooms at night.
“Children’s health is paying the price for the profits of technology companies,” said Forssmed.
The guidelines, aimed at both adults and children, also include motivation and advice on how to think about the topic.
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Forssmed said there are now “concrete and clear recommendations” to facilitate the start of conversations on the topic, including how much time is spent online, what happens there and what children may be exposed to. “These are important and necessary conversations,” she added.
Helena Frielingsdorf, a researcher at the public health authority, said parents should set an example for their 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 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 testing a ban on mobile phones in school for pupils up to the age of 15, as part of a “digital pause” that could be rolled out nationwide from January if successful.
The Swedish government has previously said it is considering banning smartphones in primary schools.