Swedish Health Agency Recommends No Screen Exposure for Toddlers

Sweden’s Public Health Agency is recommending that parents restrict how long children spend in front of digital screens to ensure a “better balance” between screen time and life experiences. “Children under the age of 2 should not use digital media at all and older children should limit their use so that important parts of life are not crowded out,” the agency said in a Sept. 2 press release. “A rule of thumb is that young children 2–5 years old use a screen for a maximum of 1 hour per day, children 6–12 years a maximum of 1–2 hours, and children 13–18 years a maximum of 2–3 hours.” In addition, children should not be exposed to screens before bedtime and mobile phones and tablets should be left outside the bedroom at night, the health agency stated....