Excessive screen time linked to smaller toddler vocabularies, government research finds

Government research found two-year-olds with the highest screen use spoke fewer words than those with lower screen use, and ministers plan to publish guidance on screen use for under-fives in April.

New government-commissioned research reports that two-year-old children with the highest daily screen use — around five hours — spoke fewer words than those with lower screen time. The study found screen use is now near-universal in early childhood and linked higher screen use to lower vocabulary scores. Ministers have said they will publish the first-ever guidance on screen use for under-fives in April and have set up a panel to review the evidence and gather parent input. Key findings: - Children with the highest screen use (about five hours a day) spoke on average 53% of a set of 34 test words, while those with the lowest screen use spoke about 65% of the words. - Across the surveyed group the average number of words spoken from the 34-word set was 21, a figure not significantly different from cohorts studied between 2017 and 2020. - At age two, 98% of children watched screens daily, with an average of about 127 minutes a day; combined time watching screens or playing video games averaged about 140 minutes a day. - The World Health Organization recommends up to one hour of screen time a day for children aged two to four. The research also reported that about a quarter of children in the survey scored above the threshold indicating possible behavioural or emotional problems. Summary: The research links higher screen time with lower measured vocabulary among two-year-olds and shows that screen use is widespread in early childhood. The government will publish guidance for under-fives in April and has appointed a panel led by Rachel de Souza and Prof Russell Viner to review evidence and take input from parents.