Trump administration health officials issued a new advisory Thursday warning that excessive screen use among children and teenagers has become a growing public health concern, citing risks to sleep, learning, physical activity, academic performance, and in-person social development.
The Department of Health and Human Services report says daily screen exposure among young people often reaches four hours or more by the teenage years. Officials linked that level of use to a range of concerns, including inadequate rest, reduced school performance, lower levels of exercise, and weaker face-to-face social connections, reports The Guardian.
“A concern at all stages of life, and a particularly important one around children’s screen exposure, is its potential to disrupt healthy sleep, which is fundamental to learning, mood, behavior, physical health, and overall development,” the report says.
The advisory recommends that children under 18 months have no screen time, that children under age 6 be limited to no more than one hour per day, and that children ages 6 through 18 be limited to two hours daily.
“Exposure often begins before a child’s first birthday and increases as children age. By adolescence, children may spend more time on screens than sleeping or attending school,” the report says.
The document urges parents to monitor screen use, schedule regular breaks, and set clear household rules around phones, tablets, computers, gaming systems, and other devices. It also encourages families to watch for patterns that may signal problematic use, especially when screen time interferes with sleep, schoolwork, physical activity, or social life.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. framed the issue in broader terms in a foreword to the advisory, which carries the motto “Live real life.”
“While screen use can have some benefits, the evidence of a range of risks to children’s overall mental and physical health is mounting,” Kennedy wrote.
Kennedy said social media is only one part of a larger problem. He described “screen time” as shorthand for a digital environment that now includes apps, smartphones, tablets, gaming, online gambling, chatbots, and other technologies that increasingly shape childhood and adolescence.
The advisory, he said, is not merely a warning, but “an invitation for all of us to enjoy a broader world, beyond the confines of screens.”
The report was compiled internally while the administration awaits a confirmed Surgeon General. Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos is serving in the role in an acting capacity as lawmakers review the nomination of Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News contributor.
The HHS document lays out several calls to action. It urges families to track screen use, schools to adopt device policies, doctors to monitor the effects of excessive screen exposure, and researchers to study longer-term impacts, including whether cellphone restrictions in schools improve student outcomes.
The advisory comes amid growing domestic and international scrutiny of children’s digital habits. Countries including Australia and India have enacted laws barring children under 16 from accounts on major social media platforms, while China uses a “minor mode” system that places device and app-level time controls on young users based on age.
In the United States, the Los Angeles Unified School District recently approved a resolution establishing grade-specific screen limits in classrooms. The measure removes classroom technology for first-graders and younger students and prohibits student-directed use of platforms such as YouTube.
Tech companies are also facing mounting legal pressure. Last month, a New Mexico court ruled that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, misled consumers about platform safety and placed children at risk. In a separate case, a Los Angeles court found Meta and Google negligent in litigation involving social media addiction.
The HHS announcement also connects to broader administration efforts focused on children’s well-being, including Melania Trump’s “Be Best” program, which was originally launched in 2018 and has addressed issues such as social media use and online harassment.
