I don’t think there’s a parent in the country who hasn’t had that moment. It’s the end of a long day, dinner still isn’t ready, and your child wants a bit longer watching YouTube or playing a game. I’ve been there myself. I’ve used a screen to buy 10 quiet minutes while I get dinner on the table, and I try not to feel guilty about that.
Screens are part of family life now. The question parents are asking today isn’t whether to use them, but how to use them well.
Used in the right way, they can be entertaining, educational and genuinely helpful. There’s a never-ending library of brilliant resources, educational games and more online, and it’s important that we don’t overlook that.
But what parents tell me, again and again, is that they want clearer support on how screens fit into the lives of their youngest children – without being judged, lectured or made to feel like they’re failing.
For too long, parents have been left to muddle through on this alone.
Meanwhile, phones and tablets have become more accessible, faster and harder to ignore, for adults as well as children, and many parents are quietly wondering whether they’re doing the right thing.
Opinions on this are everywhere, often contradictory, and rarely rooted in real family life. Evidence does suggest we should be cautious about screen use in early childhood, when development is key, and our research shows that higher screen time is linked to lower spoken vocabulary at age two.
Research shows that by age two, almost all children – around 98% – are watching screens such as mobiles, tablets, and TV every day, during a critical period for language development.
As a government, we want more children than ever starting school ready to learn by 2028. That starts long before the classroom – in the early years, when language, attention and confidence are taking shape.
Parents know what’s right for their children. Our role is to back families with the support they need at this stage, so more children arrive at nursery and school ready to thrive.
That’s why we’re developing the first-ever government guidance on screen use for under-fives to offer practical, judgement-free support that reflects modern parenting.
Guidance shaped with parents themselves, focused on balance rather than perfection, and on how screens sit alongside the things that really matter in the early years – like talking, play and sharing stories.
The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel De Souza and Professor Russell Viner - former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education and Professor of Child and Adolescent Health at UCL – will be leading the work, and holding engagement sessions with parents across the country in the coming weeks – so look out for an opportunity to get involved!
Driving change like this on the issues affecting families every day is one of the reasons I tell people I have the best job in government.
Because government can make everyday life a little easier for families and make life chances that much better for children.
We trust families to make the right choices for their children, and this guidance is there to give them confidence to do that.