Is a screen time limit needed for children?

Dr Gemma Taylor, Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Salford, researches digital media and the impact it has on children. She explains how we can best support under-fives to engage with and learn from digital media.

“Most young children spend a lot of time using screens: watching television, playing with touchscreen apps, or on video calls with grandparents. Digital media is part of children’s lives and is set to stay that way. 

“Rather than simply aiming to restrict the time children spend on these apps, it is crucial to also understand the type of device they are using, how they’re engaging with it, and the social context in which they are using it. 

“Ultimately, the UK government has a great opportunity in issuing this guidance to help parents and caregivers to better understand how to use this technology so children can benefit from it, and how to maximise its educational potential.

“A key way to do this is for parents and other adults to use digital media together with children. This is known as co-use, and can range from parents actively discussing the media content with their children to simply watching a show together.

“Our recent research with colleagues has investigated how adults using digital media with children aged up to six affects children’s ability to learn from digital media.”

Gemma’s top tips for parents include:

Be an active participant

“Don’t just sit next to your child while they use digital media – engage with them. Ask questions about what they are watching or playing, and encourage them to think critically about the content. For example, if they are watching a video, you might ask ‘what do you think will happen next?’ or ‘why do you think the character did that?’

‘Scaffold’ learning

“Scaffolding is a teaching technique in which parents can provide support to help a child understand new ideas, which they can then use and apply by themselves. During co-use, you can scaffold by explaining difficult words, relating on-screen content to real-life experiences, or helping your child apply what they’ve learned from the media to other day-to-day situations.

Choose high-quality content

“Not all digital media is created equal. Look for educational content designed to teach specific skills, whether it’s language, maths, or social-emotional learning.

“An educational app should have a clear learning goal, include problems for children to solve, and offer clear and specific feedback to support children’s learning. It should be presented with an entertaining narrative.

Encourage discussion and reflection

“After engaging with digital media, encourage your child to talk about what they watched or played. This helps reinforce the material and allows you to address any misunderstandings. 

“Reflection helps children make connections between what they’ve learned and their own lives, deepening their understanding. For instance, if a show teaches about penguins, you could follow up by discussing if you might see penguins at the zoo, or which books your child has read that they appear in.

Adapt your approach as your child grows

“As children get older, they may need less direct support during media use – but co-use remains valuable. Older children might benefit from discussions that challenge them to think critically about the media they consume. It could help them explore related activities, such as researching a topic they saw in a documentary or creating something inspired by what they watched.

Balance screen time with other activities

“Digital media can help children learn. But it’s important to balance screen time with other activities that support development, such as reading, playing outside, and interacting with others face-to-face. Our study emphasises that for digital media to form part of a well-rounded day, families should try to co-use it with their children.

Be aware of your own media use and ‘technoference’

“We live in a digital age and children will be exposed to digital media through their own use or their caregiver’s use. Parents and caregivers shouldn’t feel unduly worried or guilty about this.

“However, we do need to be aware of the potential negatives – such as the potential for digital media to disrupt and reduce parent-child interactions, also known as ‘technoference’. 

“Evidence suggests that parents and caregivers using digital media themselves while spending time with their children can negatively affect their interactions. When you can, try not to have the TV on in the background and turn off or put away your mobile phone when possible, especially during mealtimes, playtime and bedtime.

“Be conscious and deliberate about children’s digital media use, try to ensure interactions are not disrupted by screen time and provide lots of language learning opportunities around the digital media use and across their days.”