Sweden’s Public Health Agency has issued new guidelines recommending that toddlers should have no screen time whatsoever, including television and digital media.
The recommendations, released on September 2, 2024, advocate for children under the age of two to be entirely screen-free.
For children aged two to five, screen time should be restricted to a maximum of one hour per day. The agency also advises that children aged six to twelve should limit their screen use to between one and two hours daily.
Teenagers aged thirteen to eighteen should have their screen time confined to two to three hours per day.
Public Health Minister Jakob Forssmed emphasized the growing concern about excessive screen use among Swedish teens. He pointed out that teens aged thirteen to sixteen are currently spending an average of six and a half hours per day on screens outside of school hours.
Forssmed highlighted that such excessive use limits time for essential activities like physical exercise, communal interactions, and adequate sleep, contributing to a “sleep crisis” in Sweden.
Notably, more than half of fifteen-year-olds in the country are not getting sufficient rest.
The health agency also recommended that screens be avoided before bedtime and that phones and tablets be kept out of bedrooms at night. Research cited by the agency suggests that excessive screen time can lead to poor sleep, depression, and body dissatisfaction.
In response to these issues, the Swedish government is also contemplating a ban on smartphones in primary schools to address these concerns more comprehensively.
