Science Alert: New guidance for under-18-year-olds from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the UK said the evidence that time in front of a screen has a negative effect on children is “contested” and that the “evidence of harm is often overstated”.
The evidence is so weak, the group said, that it could not offer parents a guide for how much they should be limiting their children’s screen time.
“Because the effect of screen time depends so much on context, and the uncertain nature of the evidence.
it is impossible to give comprehensive national guidance or limits,” it said.
“Evidence is weak for a threshold to guide children and parents to the appropriate level of screen time, and we are unable to recommend a cut-off for children’s screen time overall.”
But it recommended that children did not use screens for the hour before their bedtime.