According to recent findings, toddlers who spend long hours in front of screens are developing smaller vocabularies compared with children who have far less screen exposure. Two-year-olds who spent around five hours a day using screens were found to speak noticeably fewer words than those who spent under an hour a day on digital devices.

Screen use has become almost unavoidable in early childhood. Research shows that nearly all two-year-olds in the UK now engage with screens daily, whether through television, videos, or other digital content. The UK government has acknowledged that while screens are now part of modern family life, excessive and passive use can come at a cost.

The UK government’s education secretary said parents and teachers had raised concerns that screen time was replacing activities that are vital for early language development, such as talking, reading, and play. She stressed that the challenge for families is no longer whether screens should be used at all, but how they can be used in a more constructive and balanced way.

In response, the UK government is preparing to publish official guidance in April aimed specifically at screen use for children under five. The advice will focus on helping parents integrate screens into shared activities, encouraging conversation and interaction rather than passive viewing.

A specialist panel has been formed to shape the guidance, led by the children’s commissioner for England and a former chief scientific adviser to the Department for Education. The group will review current evidence and gather views from parents before final recommendations are issued.

Concerns over children’s digital habits extend beyond early language development. One of the UK’s largest teaching unions has urged the UK government to consider banning social media for under-16s, citing worries about mental wellbeing and reduced attention spans.

The research behind the new guidance was commissioned by the UK government and tracked the screen habits of thousands of children from infancy into toddlerhood. It found that average daily screen time rose sharply from around half an hour at nine months old to more than two hours a day by the age of two.

Health bodies such as the World Health Organization recommend limiting screen use to no more than one hour a day for children aged between two and four, a target that many families now exceed.

The study also revealed that higher screen use was linked to weaker vocabulary skills. Children with the most screen exposure were able to say fewer test words than those with minimal screen time, even though overall language levels were broadly similar to previous generations of toddlers.

Beyond speech, behavioural concerns were also highlighted. Around one in four children in the survey showed signs that could point to emotional or behavioural difficulties, raising further questions about the wider effects of prolonged screen use.

Early years experts have broadly welcomed the UK government’s move, but have warned that guidance should go beyond time limits alone. They argue that families and educators also need clearer support on digital literacy and online safety, given how deeply technology is woven into children’s lives.

These findings and policy discussions were first reported by The Guardian, adding momentum to a growing national debate about how young children should interact with screens during their most critical years of development.

The UK government has said the upcoming guidance is intended to support, not blame, parents, recognising the realities of modern life while encouraging healthier habits that allow young children to learn, communicate, and thrive.