CHILDREN should not be allowed to use screens for an hour before going to sleep, the first UK guidance for parents says today. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said there was no safe amount of total daily screen time, but urged parents to show “tough love” in setting age-appropriate limits. In particular, the advice says parents should take firm action if time on smartphones and video games is “displacing” other activities, such as sleep, exercise and face-to-face socialising. And its experts urged parents to practise what they preach – and spend less time of their leisure time glued to tablets and phones. The guidance comes alongside a systematic review of the scientific evidence regarding the health impact of screen time, published today in BMJ Open.
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