New surgeon general’s advisory raises alarm about screen time risks for kids and teens

Key Points:

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a surgeon general’s advisory warning that excessive screen use among children and teens can harm mental and physical health, linking it to poor sleep, reduced school performance, less physical activity, and weakened social relationships.
• The advisory highlights that screen exposure often starts before age one and increases with age, with adolescents averaging four or more hours daily, sometimes exceeding time spent sleeping or in school.
• Recommendations include limiting screen time to none for children under 18 months, less than one hour daily for children under six, and no more than two hours for ages 6 to 18, alongside a toolkit to help families identify and manage harmful screen behaviors.
• Experts caution that not all screen use is harmful, emphasizing the importance of context, content, and individual differences; some children benefit from educational content and social connections online, and concerns should focus on addictive screen behaviors rather than blanket restrictions.
• The advisory was issued despite the U.S. lacking a confirmed surgeon general, with HHS officials stepping in to release the report, which builds on previous initiatives like the "Be Best" campaign and calls for coordinated efforts among families, schools, healthcare providers, policymakers, and tech companies.