Three-quarters of nine-month-olds in England have daily screen time, study finds
A new study has found that seventy-two percent of nine-month-old babies in England have some screen time each day, with the average time spent on digital devices reaching forty-one minutes.
Researchers looked at data from eight thousand families for the Education Policy Institute, revealing that while most infants had some exposure, a small group—just two percent—watched more than three hours daily.
Arabella Skinner from Healthcare Proffesionals for Safer Screens said this:
"Our members are seeing real issues in their clinical practise every day. They're seeing issues around eyesight, they're seeing issues around physical development and core development. And really importantly, they're seeing issues around speech and language and how children and their neurodevelopment and hitting their developmental stage."
"When you look at school readiness, school readiness is at the lowest stage that we've had ever. And we know from research The more time a child spends on a screen before their two and three impacts every element of their development of 5, 8, and 12." She said.
The study found little difference in screen habits between families of different incomes or education levels. Babies with more siblings were less likely to be exposed to screens, and those in single-parent households averaged slightly longer screen time compared to those with two parents.
Children who had high levels of screen time were less likely to take part in enrichment activities like reading, singing, or trips outside.
The Department for Education is expected to publish its first guidance for parents on screen time for children under five, aiming to help families find a healthy balance in an increasingly digital world.