Report: Children of the 2020s: home-learning environment and screen time at age two, Department for Education
- On a typical day, 98% of two-year-old children were watching television, videos or other digital content on a screen, government research has revealed.
- The screen time was for an average of 127 minutes (up from 29 minutes at nine months), though it was possible to be a shared activity (46% of primary caregivers sometimes watched with their child).
- Children with the highest screen time – at around five hours a day – were able to say fewer of the test words than those who watched for around 44 minutes (53% compared with 65%).
- The most frequent home-learning activity reported was reading or looking at books: 56% did it daily and only 2% never did, while 77% of the highest-income families read daily with their child, compared with 32% of the lowest-income families.
- Guidance on screen time for under-fives is expected to be published in a few months’ time.
EXPERT THOUGHT
The research authors stated: ‘[These findings] underscore the importance of addressing early disadvantage, supporting parenting and providing guidance on screen use during early childhood.’
Image | ISTOCK
