Screen time: Experts say screens causing 'permanent damage' to children under 6 - what they want to change

• The amount of time children spend using a phone, tablet, computer or TV has risen sharply in recent years
• Child health experts in France are calling for age guidelines for screen time to be urgently expanded
• They argue screens just aren’t built to be safe for children under 6 - with all kinds of impacts
• The UK’s guidance is currently a little more flexible

Tablet time or watching their favourite cartoons may be the highlight of the day for many tots - but all of this early screen time isn’t necessarily without consequence.

A 2024 report published by the UK Parliament’s Education Select Committee found that young people’s screen time has shot up in recent years, a whopping 52% between 2020 and 2022. One in four children with a smartphone used it in a way that was consistent with behavioural addiction, it continued, and almost all children had their own phone by age 12.

Now, five leading French health agencies - specialising in paediatrics, public health, ophthalmology, child psychiatry, and more - are calling for parents, educators, and policymakers alike for urgent action to rein in screen time over the ditch, in a new open letter. They say screen-based activities are “simply not suitable for children under six”, and even so-called educational content can permanently alter their growing brains.

But what exactly is the problem with kids having a little TV or tablet time, and is six really too young? Here’s what you need to know:

What do medical experts say about screen time?

The societies behind the letter say that screen-based activities are simply not suitable for children under six years old - and can “permanently impair their intellectual abilities”.

Currently in France, official recommendations suggest children should not be exposed to screens before the age of three - and should have only “occasional use” between the ages of three and six under adult supervision, according to a report by The Guardian. But the experts say they want the guidance updated unambiguously to “no screens before age 6” - both at home and at school.

“The truth is sometimes difficult to hear. The consequences of early and prolonged exposure to screens have already heavily impacted a young generation sacrificed on the altar of ignorance,” they write. “But in 2025, there is no longer any doubt, and numerous international scientific publications are there to remind us. Neither screen technology nor its content, including [content that is] supposedly ‘educational,’ are adapted to a small, developing brain.”

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Every day, paediatricians, GPs, other child mental and physical health specialists, and early years teachers were seeing the damage caused by regular screen exposure before entering elementary school, the experts continued, such as language delays, attention and memory problems, restlessness, and more. There were also new scientific studies coming out constantly, highlighting the negative effects of repeated, “even brief”, exposure to screens.

Whether it comes via tablet, phone, or TV, children are bombarded with fast-paced light and sound stimuli. The experts warned this could compromise their still-developing neural connections, “potentially permanently altering their brain function”. Being glued to a screen can also mean they miss out on valuable social and family experiences, and the social and emotional learning that comes with them.

For very young children, their physical health can be at risk too. Screen use can lead to sleep disruption, they wrote, as well as vision problems as they grow.

What are the screen time recommendations in the UK?

In the UK, guidance around screen time is currently a little more liberal. However, potential changes are being looked into at a policy level, including mobile phone restrictions and a so-called social media curfew.

NHS Trust guidance generally follows the World Health Organization (WHO) screen time recommendations for children. These suggest no screen time for infants under two; up to an hour for children aged two to four; and no more than two hours per day for older children.

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