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A new study has been launched to investigate a key “blind spot” in babies’ screen time, experts have revealed.
Academics from the Universities of Leeds, Nottingham, Aston University and Leeds Trinity University will assess the impact of screen use on the youngest members of society.
The research was funded by the 1001 Critical Days Foundation, a charity founded by former health secretary Dame Andrea Leadsom to give babies the best possible start in life.
“Anecdotally, even newborn babies are exposed to screens,” said former education and health minister Will Quince, who was recently appointed chief executive of the charity.
“As Education Secretary I saw first-hand how often babies are neglected – there are real baby blind spots.
“Take screen time, for example, the debate is about bans on mobile phones among young people, social media and schools, while babies are increasingly exposed to screens.
“Some babies now spend more than four hours a day in front of a screen.
“This is important research, not to shame parents but to provide the evidence needed to break down baby blind spots and give parents and carers the information they need to help their children get the best start in life.”
Experts say children should learn through interactions with adults and the world around them.
Some say screen time at a young age can lead to long-term problems with attention, communication, problem-solving and communication difficulties.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says children under one year old should not use screens.
It says any time spent sitting or sitting for long periods of time should be spent reading and telling stories.
For minors, it also recommends that they should be physically active in a variety of ways multiple times a day and should not be confined to a pram, pram, high chair or baby carrier for more than an hour at a time.
The organization says children aged one to two should have no more than one hour of screen time a day, and “the less, the better.”
Research shows that three in 10 babies in Japan are exposed to screens for more than four hours a day.