Parents are being warned not to let their toddlers stay glued to screens, as researchers find children who use the devices for five or more hours say fewer words. The government is to give parents guidance on how long under-fives should spend watching TV or looking at computer screens. The children with the highest screen time - around five hours a day - could say significantly fewer words than those at the other end of the scale who watched for around 44 minutes. We use them for hours every day, and maybe wish we didn't, but what about our children? Parents, children and early years practitioners will all be involved in the process.

Source: Daily Mail January 11, 2026 11:57 UTC