Featured: The Times “Two-thirds of babies watch screens - some for eight hours a day”

More than two-thirds of babies under two use screens, a report has found, and some are exposed for up to eight hours a day. 

Nearly a third of newborns were found to be watching screens for more than three hours a day, while almost 20 per cent of infants of four to 11 months used screens for more than an hour a day. 

The report comes after the government issued guidance that children under two do not use screens at all, apart from communal activities such as video-calling relatives. 

The report, from the 1001 Critical Days Foundation and the iAddict research group, involved a survey, a focus group and a literature review to examine the extent and potential impact of infant screen use. The findings demonstrate a “reality gap” between government advice and everyday life.