Research
Every source I quote, in one place. If I say it in a video, the evidence is here, linked to the original.
Young children and screens
No screen time for under-1s or 1-year-olds; no more than 1 hour a day for 2 to 4-year-olds, and less is better. Not restrained (prams, high chairs) for more than 1 hour at a time; 11 to 14 hours' sleep at ages 1 to 2 and 10 to 13 hours at 3 to 4; reading and storytelling encouraged when sitting.
Teens and social media
Teens spending more than 3 hours a day on social media face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. Up to 95% of 13 to 17-year-olds use social media, and a third say they use it "almost constantly". Advice for parents includes tech-free zones, a family media plan and modelling healthy use.
How apps are designed to hook us
Aza Raskin, who designed infinite scroll, testified about its impact and said he regrets it.
Phone settings that help
On a child's iPhone (iOS 27 or later): Settings, Family, your child's name. Time Allowances limit how long apps can be used; Screen Time Schedules choose which apps work before, during and after school.
Time Allowances set limits by app category such as games and social media; schedules can differ on weekdays and weekends.
Bedtime mode can switch the screen to grayscale at night (Settings, Digital Wellbeing, Bedtime mode). App timers close an app when its daily limit is up; Focus mode pauses distracting apps.
Laws around the world
Proposed 17 September 2026: no social media accounts under 13, 13 to 14-year-olds only through a parent's account, and bans on infinite scroll, reward tricks and night-time push notifications. Fines up to 6% of global revenue. Still a proposal.
The Constitutional Council struck down the ban on 14 August 2026, ruling it disproportionately infringed freedom of expression and communication.
Parliament passed the under-15 ban in July 2026, pending Constitutional Council review.
The UK plans a ban on social media for under-16s from spring 2027, using powers from the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp are exempt.
Three months in, 81% of under-16s still had access to at least one restricted platform; about half kept accounts because their age was never checked. By 16 January about 4.7 million accounts belonging to Australian children had been revoked. Denmark, Malaysia, Greece and the UK are moving on similar bans.
Families describe workarounds, including apps re-downloaded through iCloud without permission.