Small children spend too much time in front of a screen compared to the recommendations
Preschool children aged 4 use screens much more than recommended by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Børns Vilkår. This is revealed in the first national study of screen use among 4-year-olds.
The World Health Organization recommends that young children have a maximum of one hour of sedentary screen time per day. According to Børns Vilkår, small children should spend a maximum of 45 minutes in front of a screen daily.
However, the majority of Danish 4-year-olds exceed these recommendations, especially during weekends when screen usage significantly increases.
The National Institute of Public Health surveyed parents of over 5,300 children who had just turned 4 years old about their children’s screen consumption.
In total, 61 percent of children exceed Børns Vilkår’s recommendations, and 84 percent exceed them on weekends.
On average, they spend 1 hour and 10 minutes in front of screens on weekdays and a little over 2 hours on weekends.
Screen use may be even higher
Professor of child and adolescent health, Trine Flensborg-Madsen, who conducted the study, is surprised by the results.
"It’s remarkable that so many parents allow their children to spend more time in front of screens than recommended. We do not know the cause. But regardless, it’s important to shed light on these numbers. Especially because more and more studies indicate that there are virtually no positive consequences for young children from sitting in front of screens. Most studies show that it is detrimental to a child’s development,” she says.
Trine Flensborg-Madsen adds that screen usage may be even higher than what the study shows because all the data is self-reported. Parents estimate their children’s usage, and they may not accurately remember or know the true extent.
Watching YouTube
Almost all 4-year-olds, 99 percent, use screens, and every third child owns their own smartphone or tablet. The study also reveals what these young children use screens for.
Favorites include movies and series on platforms like Ramasjang, Netflix, DRTV, or Disney+.
Content from YouTube is also popular. In total, 46 percent of 4-year-olds watch YouTube content, especially on weekends, where they spend nearly an hour a day on YouTube. And this worries child experts:
“Much of the content on YouTube is designed to keep children in front of the screen for as long as possible. There is also plenty of content that can be directly harmful to children. And if children have free rein, it can be difficult for parents to know what their child has seen,” she says.
Approximately one-fifth of children use screens during breakfast, and almost one-tenth do so during dinner.
About half of all parents report that their child does not have fixed limits on screen time.
The study also shows:
- Screen use is most prevalent in the afternoon, with up to 73 percent of children using screens.
- After dinner, 34 percent of children use screens on weekdays, while 44 percent do so on weekends.
- Approximately 4 out of 5 children have been allowed to use a smartphone or tablet independently by the time they turn 4.
- One-third of children were between 2 and 3 years old when they were first allowed to use a smartphone or tablet independently.
Contact: Professor Trine Flensborg-Madsen, email: tfl@sdu.dk, phone: +45 6137 9727, National Institute of Public Health, SDU.