What screens really do to your child’s brain development

[0:00] How much screen time is too much for young brains? [0:05] Scientists in the UK have been looking at what happens when toddlers watch fast-paced content [0:12] and this research has informed new government guidelines for screen time for under fives. [0:17] If stuff is happening, coming at us too fast, [0:20] something called the fight or flight stress system kicks in. [0:23] The advice says children under two should not have any screen time alone [0:27] and from the age two to five, viewing should be limited to one hour a day. [0:32] We challenged one family to cut down but it's not been easy. [0:36] At the start of the week I was like yeah come on we're going to do this but it didn't happen. [0:42] Really like that. [0:43] On the 27th of March 2026 the government unveiled its guidance on screen time [0:49] for under fives in England. [0:51] It is advising parents to avoid screen time for under twos [0:55] unless it's a shared activity like [0:57] calling [0:58] relatives for example. [0:59] For children aged two to five it should be limited to no more than one hour a day [1:04] with no screen time at meal times or in the hour before bed [1:08] and you should use or watch screens together. [1:11] Parents are also being asked to choose slow-paced age-appropriate content. [1:16] Fast-paced social media style videos and AI toys and tools should be completely avoided. [1:23] But why is this advice coming now? [1:25] It's partly because what children are watching, [1:28] and how they're watching it, [1:29] has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. [1:33] Smartphones and screens are much more common at home. [1:37] Episodes are shorter and faster paced. [1:40] There are more characters and movement on screen. [1:44] And plot changes can happen really quickly. [1:47] Good job Alex, you're doing really well. [1:50] Scientists at the University of East London have been studying [1:54] what impact all of that fast-paced screen time is having on toddlers brains. [1:59] They looked at things like eye trace, where the eyes are looking on a screen. [2:03] Heart rate. [2:04] The more excited they are by a piece of content, the faster their heart is going to beat. [2:09] And brain activity. [2:10] How it reacts to things like light, sound and movement. [2:15] Toddlers brains process things up to 10 times slower than adults. [2:20] And the researchers found that under fives find it [2:22] hard to process all that fast-paced activity on their screens. [2:26] So we do have really good evidence that screens put children into this, [2:30] sympathetic nervous system, fight or flight mode. [2:32] Your heart starts beating faster and you start to get a lot of energy released to your muscles. [2:37] And that's your body readying itself to react to something at a moment's notice. [2:41] This is happening when children are sat still on a chair watching screen content. [2:45] And what's happening is the child is watching it on screen and their body is kind of getting [2:49] tricked as it were and it's responding to this imagined peril as if they're [2:53] exactly they're actually experiencing the peril themselves. [2:56] There is now loads of research going into the correlation [2:59] between a child and a child. [3:00] There's a lot of research going into the correlation between a child's early TV viewing [3:05] and how they manage their behaviour and emotions. [3:07] On average, the more TV that a child watches when they're young, [3:10] the more likely they are to be having tantrums and other form of behavioural [3:14] dysregulation when they're older. [3:15] And we've also got good quality evidence that using TV and screens to calm a toddler tantrum [3:22] can actually lead to the problem getting worse over time. [3:25] And that's probably why almost every parent, myself included, will say, [3:29] I don't want to be in a tantrum. [3:31] But how practical is the new advice for families and how easy is it to make changes? [3:38] My name's Alexis. I'm in my early 40s. My husband as well. [3:43] And we've got two boys. Romy here is nearly five. [3:45] Are you zooming? Yeah, you're doing good. [3:48] And Marlow is nearly two. [3:50] What are you doing? [3:51] Okay. [3:51] That's us, two cats. Here we are. [3:53] So it's a busy house? [3:55] Yeah. Yeah, it's mad. [3:56] For the Montastier family in Manchester, life is a juggle. [4:02] Make sure you sit down at the table. [4:05] From school and nursery pick-up to dinner time. [4:09] Children like Romy and Marlow are growing up surrounded by technology. [4:14] It has its advantages, helping them keep in touch with family living hundreds of miles away [4:19] and offers endless entertainment. [4:22] But the family are also worried about the effects it can have. [4:25] It's a big thing in the house. It's a topic of conversation. [4:29] Well, every day, because we do it every day, most of the time, [4:33] it is to avoid it. [4:34] It's a big thing in the house. It's a topic of conversation. Well, every day, because we do it every day. [4:34] Most of the time, it is to avoid it. [4:34] Most of the time, it is to avoid it. [4:34] Most of the time, it is to avoid it. [4:35] Conflicts, meltdowns, and to give yourself a bit of a break and a bit of a rest if you need it. [4:41] The family spent one week trying to cut down on their screen time. [4:45] Are you up for the challenge? [4:46] Challenge accepted. [4:48] Yeah. [4:49] Okay. [4:50] So they swapped morning viewing for dancing and other activities [4:54] and limited the number of episodes allowed after school. [4:57] How many number blocks episodes have you up? [5:00] Last night went quite well, actually. [5:01] We managed to turn it off after 26 minutes. [5:04] At the start of the day, we had a lot of fun. [5:05] At the start of the week, I was like, yeah, come on, we're going to do this. [5:06] And by the end of the week, no screen or everything will just swap perfectly. [5:12] We're on Thursday. [5:16] It's been quite challenging. [5:17] I'm not going to lie. [5:18] Should we just try and do five episodes of one programme? [5:23] But it didn't happen. [5:26] Really like that. [5:27] We've tried our best. [5:29] Some of the swaps for Alexis were time consuming, [5:32] especially before and after school when she needed to get things done. [5:36] So I need that time. [5:37] So I'm not going to swap it to sit down and read a book because it's not realistic. [5:45] This has definitely made me more aware and almost made me start doing things [5:49] that I've always said, oh, we need to. [5:51] We need to do that. [5:52] Technology is such an integral part of everyday life. [5:56] Cutting down completely on screen time is hard for many parents, [6:00] and some parents don't want to cut it out completely. [6:03] Here's Parents' Zone, a tech friendly parenting organisation. [6:06] Technology is going to be the future for these young people. [6:10] And if we try too hard to keep them away from it, they're going to struggle. [6:15] So what we've got to do is find a way of making technology a positive part of family life. [6:20] For example, a smart speaker is now AI enabled. [6:24] A small child under the age of five that's got one of those in the house [6:28] will be interacting with a device that's got AI in it. [6:31] So the idea that we can completely keep them away from it is probably flawed. [6:37] It's good general guidance. [6:38] With technology advancing all the time and limited research, [6:42] the government will have to keep looking at this advice as things change [6:47] and more is known about the effects on children. [6:50] And the experts say parents should trust their own instincts [6:53] as they make decisions about what is best for their child.