started · updated
European Pediatric Bodies Set New Screen‑Time Limits for Children
The European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP) and the European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP) have released a Position Paper on digital health for children and adolescents. Drawing on the study “Screen Time Exposure and Children’s and Adolescents’ Health” published in *Acta Paediatrica* and authored by pediatric resident Lorenza Onorati and scientific director Eugenio Baraldi, the paper warns that early, excessive and unregulated exposure to smartphones, tablets, TV, social networks and video games can impair cognitive, emotional, social and physical development.
The paper recommends that children under two years should not use screens except for video calls, that children aged three to five should be limited to a maximum of one hour per day (preferably with an adult present), and that children older than five should have less than two hours per day. It also stresses the importance of daily physical activity, active family involvement in digital education, and protecting sleep hours. The release comes as France has recently passed a law banning social‑network access for minors under 15, underscoring growing European policy attention to digital wellbeing for youth.
Entities
Eugenio Baraldi · European Academy of Paediatrics · European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians · France · Lorenza Onorati · Padua
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] France passed a law banning social‑network access for minors under 15 years old. www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodibari.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Children aged 3‑5 should have a maximum of 1 hour of screen time per day, preferably with an adult present. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Children under 2 years should not use screens, except for video calls. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Children older than 5 years should have less than 2 hours of screen time per day. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Position Paper was authored by Lorenza Onorati and Eugenio Baraldi. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] The underlying study was published in the journal Acta Paediatrica. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Excessive screen use increases risk of digital addiction and harms sleep quality, psychological wellbeing, school performance, family relations and physical activity. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it
- [● 3 SOURCES] Early, excessive and unregulated screen exposure can negatively affect cognitive, emotional, social and physical development of children and adolescents. www.notizie.it · www.insalutenews.it · quotidianodifoggia.it