Babies

Study: 72% of UK Babies Get Daily Screen Time

Is screen time for babies the new "secondhand smoke" for young minds or a misunderstood tool that can support healthy growth?

Published MAR 16

Study: 72% of UK Babies Get Daily Screen Time

Story

Above: An 8-month-old baby boy plays at home on an activity mat with an iPad tablet. Image credit: Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

A study published on Monday by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) found that 72% of nine-month-old babies in England experience some daily screen time, with the average reported at 41 minutes per day. Babies with no siblings were more likely to watch screens (80%) than those with four or more siblings (57%).
Education Policy Institute
The News International
Guardian
Infants in single-parent households averaged 47 minutes of daily screen time, compared with 39 minutes for those with two parents at home. Researchers found no significant difference in whether babies watched screens at all based on family income level.
Daily Mail
Independent
The EPI study drew on data from more than 8,000 families who took part in the Children of the 2020s cohort study, a nationally representative birth cohort commissioned by the Department for Education to follow children from nine months to age five.
Centre for Longitudinal Studies
RTE.ie
Only 2% of nine-month-old babies in the study exceeded three hours of daily screen time. Those in this group were significantly less likely to regularly experience enrichment activities such as outdoor trips, being read to or singing.
Daily Mail
Guardian
The likelihood of parents looking at books daily with their baby remained consistent whether the infant had no screen time, up to one hour or up to two hours. That likelihood only declined when daily screen time surpassed two hours.
Independent
Daily Mail
EPI director Dr. Tammy Campbell said policymaking "should help families use digital tools to enhance development, bonding and enjoyment of babyhood" rather than "demonising any use." The U.K. government was expected to publish its first guidance on screen time for under-fives in April.
Guardian
The Telegraph

Sources Split

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RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

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ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Screens before age 3 are basically secondhand smoke for developing brains — higher screen time directly correlates with weaker language, reading and decision-making skills. Even so-called "educational" content overstimulates attention circuits that aren't ready for it, and no amount of rebranding changes that neurological reality. The American Academy of Pediatrics' no-screens-under-3 guideline exists for a reason, and it's time to take it seriously.

Camus on X

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Narrative B

Screen time for babies isn't the boogeyman it's made out to be — data from 8,000 families in the EPI study shows healthy childhoods and screen use aren't mutually exclusive. The real question isn't "how much" but "what" and "why" screens are being used, whether for shared play or passive viewing. Policymakers should help families use digital tools to boost development and bonding instead of demonizing them every minute.