Harmful screen use by children and teens has become a "public health concern," according to a surgeon general's advisory issued Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The advisory noted that harmful screen use by youth can cause negative impacts on their cognitive and emotional development, physical and metabolic health, educational outcomes and mental health.
According to the advisory, warning signs of excessive screen time among children and teens can look like compulsive behaviors that include:
- Spending too much time on screens.
- Repeatedly asking to use screens, often by whining or crying.
- Using screens to feel better.
- Not engaging in in-person interactions or activities.
The advisory also took aim at screen time in schools and its potential negative effects on student achievement.
The surgeon general’s notice stated that higher levels of certain types of recreational screen time can distract from homework and studying and lead to poorer academic performance such as lower grades and test scores. In the classroom, multitasking with digital media can impact attention and concentration, leading to negative results for grades, test scores, recall and reading, the advisory said.
Among younger, preschool-aged children, the advisory said, greater screen time is tied to poorer performance on developmental measures like communication.
The surgeon general’s warning on screen use comes at a time when momentum is gaining at the state level for limits on screen time and ed tech in classrooms. As of Monday, at least nine laws have been passed across eight states to limit screen time and ed tech in schools, said Amelia Vance, founder and president of the Public Interest Privacy Center.
The legislative trend to limit screen time follows a wave of policies banning student cellphone use in schools in recent years. Wednesday’s surgeon general advisory also encouraged schools to implement bell-to-bell cell phone restrictions during the school day.
Additionally, the surgeon general’s advisory came alongside a 29-page toolkit that calls for schools to “limit screen use by assigning work in books or on paper whenever possible.”
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced the surgeon general’s advisory and toolkit Wednesday alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed a state law that includes limiting digital instruction to 60 minutes daily for students in grades K-5.
Kennedy praised Iowa’s new “Make America Healthy Again” law during a press conference.
“Iowa is leading the nation by taking decisive action to protect children's health, including limiting excessive classroom screen time,” Kennedy said.
Some industry groups, however, have raised concerns about the surgeon general’s advisory and toolkit.
Sara Kloek, vice president of education and youth policy at the Software & Information Industry Association, said in a Wednesday statement that the advisory and toolkit shows a “lack of distinction between proven purpose built educational technology and consumer technology.”
“The Advisory’s own evidence shows that the effects of screen use depend on content and context — which is why distinguishing commercially built consumer technology from purpose-built educational technology is not a technicality; it is the entire policy question,” Kloek said. “Educational technology is curriculum-aligned, educator-governed, [and] proven to improve student outcomes."
Kloek added that ed tech is protected under certain federal laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Children's Internet Protection Act.
"Consumer platforms are not,” she said.
