Children younger than a year old shouldn’t be exposed to any electronic screens, according to guidelines issued Wednesday by the World Health Organization.
The United Nations agency, issuing its first such guidelines, also recommended that children ages 2 to 4 have no more than one hour of “sedentary screen time” — including playing computer games or watching TV — per day. It emphasized that young kids need be physically active and get enough sleep, habits that go a long way in preventing obesity and other diseases later in life.
“Achieving health for all means doing what is best for health right from the beginning of people’s lives,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. “Early childhood is a period of rapid development and a time when family lifestyle patterns can be adapted to boost health gains.”
The action comes amid growing research into the developmental effects of the widespread use of computers and mobile devices by children. One concern is that the mesmerizing effects of videos keep young children from connecting with their parents and others, a key facet in building the sophisticated social skills that are central to human development.
Surveys have consistently shown that children have been exposed to rising amounts of screen time in recent years, including by parents struggling with the challenges of managing the moods and time demands of young children. Many of the most popular channels on YouTube, for example, feature nursery rhymes, simplistic games and other content that appeal to preschoolers. (YouTube long has maintained that its service is intended for those 13 or older.)
“It’s extraordinarily important that someone with the authority and reach of the WHO is saying this,” said Josh Golin of the Campaign for a Commercial Free-Childhood, an advocacy group based in Boston. He said of screen time for children, “It’s not essential to learning, and it’s not effective at teaching.”
Golin also said that studies show worrying signs of possible developmental effects on the ability of children to acquire language and social skills. Even the use of mobile devices by parents can affect their children by distracting mothers and fathers from the routine interaction young minds crave, he said.