03-08-2025
NSPCC advice to parents on how long children should spend looking at screens
The NSPCC has issued advice to parents on how long their children should be looking at mobile phone and computer screens.
In the 21st Century, it is not unusual to see a young child glued to the screen of a mobile phone or tablet.
Screen time has been the subject of much bad press in recent years with ominous terms such as 'doom scrolling' having worrying implications on children and young people.
The question of how long children should have access to screens has always been a contentious topic and the children's charity, NSPCC, has offered the following advice to parents.
Jan McDonald, NSPCC schools coordinator for Hampshire, said: 'There's no set amount of time that a child should spend online or offline, and it varies depending on their age.
'That said, it's important to maintain a balance - to strike this balance, you could decide on some screen time limits together as a family.
"You could also schedule some screen breaks and try out some new offline activities together, such as board games, or trying a new sport."
The summer holidays are now in full swing meaning that many children and teenagers will have additional time - some of which might involve surfing the web and looking at social media.
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This week, the government launched its Online Saftey Bill to better protect children while they are operating online.
Jan continued: 'Try making use of the wellbeing settings on social media apps or on your devices to help you with this.
'It's best to put into practice the online safety advice you give to your child. This is because your child looks to you for guidance on all sorts of things.
'So, this means also doing things like taking breaks from your screen, blocking negative content, and questioning what you see, hear, and share online.
'Search 'NSPCC Positively Online' for more for tips and a quiz to help you support your child's online wellbeing.'
