Easter holidays: How much screen time your child should have at every age - and how to help them cut back

Education writer Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. The Easter holidays can be a nice break from school for children, giving them the chance to relax, play, and spend quality time with friends or family. But parents may notice the amount of time their children spend glued to a screen starts to creep up, without the more formal structure of the school day.

They may take to ‘doom-scrolling’ on social media for hours, binge-watching movies or shows, or even extra-long online gaming sessions. Advertisement Advertisement But more time glued to TVs, smartphones, tablets or computers isn’t completely harmless. A 2024 report published by Parliament’s Education Select Committee found that young people’s screen time has shot up in recent years , a whopping 52% between 2020 and 2022.



One in four children with a smartphone used it in a way that was consistent with behavioural addiction, it continued, with impacts ranging from disrupted sleep, to distracting children from learning, to exposing them to harmful material. A few years back, the World Health Organization (WHO) released its official guidance on screen time for children under the age of five. While it doesn’t necessarily have set recommendations for older children, the NHS and other expert health groups have their own guidelines, based on both research and experience.

Here’s what they have to say about screen time limits - as well as some strategies for managing it: WHO doesn’t recommend any screen time for children under the age of two, especially if it’s sedentary - like sitting while watching TV, or playing a phone or tablet game. Its focal point for childhood obesity and physical activity, Dr Juana Willumsen, said parents should try to replace prolonged screen time with more active play. “What we really need to do is bring back play for children.

.. This is about making the shift from sedentary time to playtime, while protecting sleep.

” Advertisement Advertisement For babies, WHO recommends they be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, particularly through interactive floor-based play. For those not yet mobile, this includes at least 30 minutes of ‘tummy time’ spread throughout the day. During more sedentary time, it suggests reading or telling stories, singing, or doing puzzles with them, rather than switching on the TV.

Once they’ve turned one, WHO suggests at least three hours taking part in a variety of physical activities, including some of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity, spread throughout the day. “More is better,” it says. The NHS says that children learn best through interacting with adults and the world around them.

Screen time as a very young child has been linked to long-term difficulties with attention, communication, problem-solving and social skills, it says. At this age, it recommends turning off background TV; limiting your child’s access to the TV, iPad, tablet, computer or phone; spending time playing with your child; and talking to them about the world around them instead. A personalised morning news round-up with NationalWorld Today - sign up here.

Advertisement Advertisement For slightly older toddlers, WHO recommends no more than one hour of sedentary screen time per day. This should be balanced with at least three hours of physical activity, and 10-13 hours of sleep. The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust recommends a few different strategies for helping very young children learn to manage screentime.

These include setting a sand timer so they have a visual reminder of how much time they have left; adding tablet, phone or computer time to a daily schedule so they can understand how it fits into the other activities in their day; and using screen time as a reward to encourage children to join in with less-preferred activities first like story-time or imaginative play. According to the National Childbirth Trust , a charity that provides support and guidance to new parents, even older children should have no more than two hours of screen time per day, as per NHS advice. Unlike for toddlers, Parliament’s Education Committee did find that screen time could provide some benefits to school-aged children - when balanced with other activities.

For older children, the Scottish Government’s Parent Club recommends a few different strategies for helping them cut back. Leading by example by putting your own phone away when the family is together can be a big help, while designating meal times as “device-free times” can help set boundaries while getting in some quality time. Advertisement Advertisement Building recreational screen time into a routine that works for your family can also help enforce these limits.

“If your child knows that screens aren’t allowed during meal-times or before bedtime, but are allowed at weekends and after they’ve done their homework during the week, they might be less likely to make a fuss about using them at other times.” It may help to set a timer, or another reminder of your family’s rules while they are using screens, “to reduce the chances of your kid going into monster mode when you take their device away”. Try not to give in and let them spend longer, and keep your cool even if they do “have a strop”.

While Parent Club warns that weaning your child off technology may not happen overnight, it says that if you stick with the strategies and changes your household has put in place, “it will happen”. If you have an education story to share, we’d love to hear from you. You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at www.

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