What does new guidance in the UK say about screen time for children?

The government has issued new guidance on how much time children below the age of five should spend on screens.Children’s relationships with screens have become one of the key struggles of 21st-century parenting, along with the impact of the content that appears on those devices. The guidance has been developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, and children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner.Children below two years old should avoid screen time other than for shared activities that encourage interaction. For children between the ages of two and five, screen time should be kept to no more than one hour a day

Starmer vows to ‘fight’ social media firms to protect children from addiction

Keir Starmer has promised a “fight” with social media companies amid efforts to limit children’s use of mobile phones, tablets and TVs, as new official guidance recommends children under five spend no more than an hour a day on screens.The guidance, developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza and children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner, advises screen time for children under two should be avoided other than for shared activities.Ministers are also considering Australia-style measures to limit or ban social media for under-16s.Speaking at a school in south London about the new guidance, the prime minister said: “When there’s a lot going on, when children are having a tantrum, trying to find something to distract them is an obvious thing, and I don’t think parents and carers have had any guidance at all yet about what would be appropriate, what might be best.”The government is consulting on potential age restrictions on social media and other services, such as gaming sites and AI chatbots, as well as restrictions on addictive design features and risky functionalities, and better support for parents and families

Keep under-fives’ screen time to no more than an hour a day, UK advice says

Children under five should spend no more than an hour a day on screens, new government advice says.Screen time for children under two should be avoided except for shared activities encouraging interaction, families are advised.In addition, the government is considering Australia-style measures to limit or ban social media for under-16s.The guidance was developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner, Rachel de Souza, and the children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner.Keir Starmer said the guidance would help families keep children safe and ensure they built healthy habits with screens

More than 6m vapes and pods discarded weekly in UK despite single-use ban, study finds

More than 6m vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK, with waste management companies warning the sheer volume continues to strain recycling systems despite the ban on disposable e-cigarettes.According to research by the recycling campaign group Material Focus, the 6.3m vapes and pods thrown away each week in 2025 represented a 23% reduction from the previous year.This suggests the ban on sales of single-use vapes that came into effect on 1 June 2025 has had an impact on levels of waste, alongside a 31% drop in the number of vapes bought each week.However, the volume of waste is still creating problems

UK government must urgently apologise for forced adoption, MPs say

The UK government must urgently issue a formal apology for the state’s role in forced adoption as many victims are nearing the end of their lives, a cross-party group of MPs has said.A report from the education select committee said ministers should provide an initial commitment to an apology and begin working with survivor groups as quickly as possible on its wording.It said a formal and public apology was essential to correct the public record and reduce the burdens felt by many mothers and adoptees.Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and Wales owing to a culture of shame surrounding pregnancy outside marriage. Religious organisations ran most of the mother and baby homes where pregnant women were sent to give birth, while charities and local authorities were also involved in funding the placements and finding adoptive parents

NHS bosses say resident doctors’ strike will cause ‘maximum harm’

NHS bosses have accused resident doctors of seeking to cause “maximum harm” to patients by striking for six days next month over pay and jobs.Wes Streeting has given resident – formerly junior – doctors in England until 2 April to reconsider their rejection on Wednesday of his “generous” offer to end the dispute. It would have given them £700m in extra pay over the next three years.The British Medical Association’s decision to withdraw from talks with the government and NHS chiefs aimed at settling the long-running dispute has sparked a war of words.Glen Burley, NHS England’s financial reset and accountability director, said during NHS England’s board meeting on Thursday that the BMA’s decision was “really disappointing for patients