By India McCarty
A majority of 9-month-old babies are being exposed to screens daily, according to a new study.
“Our analysis finds that most babies surveyed for Children of the 2020s experience up to an hour a day (49%) or no screentime (28%); a very small minority (2%) experience over three hours,” the study, conducted by the UK’s Education Policy Institute (EPI), reads.
The study added that 72% of babies surveyed are “reported to experience at least some screentime,” with just 28% not experiencing any screen time.
Related: New Study Links Toddler Screen Time and Slower Speech Development
Some babies have more than three hours of screen time per day, experts warn – with 72% of 9-month-olds being plonked in front of a TV or phone https://t.co/ilbubCLibe
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) March 16, 2026
Dr. Tammy Campbell, director for early years, inequalities and wellbeing at EPI, talked to The Independent about what these findings mean for children and how they spend their time.
“A large part of the conversation needs to shift from ‘how much’ to ‘what’ and ‘why,’” she explained. “It’s about how and when a screen is being used for shared, interactive play, or for passive viewing.”
Campbell encouraged public guidelines for parents and families when it comes to digital tools, saying that “demonising any use” of screens is unhelpful. Instead, families should try to use screens as a way to “enhance development, bonding, and enjoyment of babyhood.”
Many are already working on creating these guidelines; Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England and co-chair of a panel drawing up government guidance for children’s screen time, told The Guardian, “Parents today are raising children in a world where screens are part of everyday life — for many, especially in the earliest months of a child’s life, it can be difficult to know what the right balance looks like.
“As children’s commissioner, I understand screens feel like both a help and worry for parents — which is why the upcoming early years guidance will offer clear, trustworthy advice, giving parents confidence when managing how their children see screens,” she added.
A Department for Education spokesperson said, “Parents have told us they want clear, practical and non-judgmental advice on screen use for under-fives as they raise children in a digital world. That’s why we are working urgently to publish the first ever government guidance for parents on screen use for young children, backed by an independent expert-led evidence review and shaped by the experiences of parents themselves so the advice reflects real family life.”
The EPI’s latest study shows the importance of creating guidelines for young children’s screen time so that parents can let them engage in some screen time in safe and healthy ways.
Read Next: Infant Screen Time Delays Brain Development, Study Finds
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