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Children aged two with highest screen use can say significantly fewer words, UK government research finds (January 2026)
Screen use is now near-universal in early childhood, with 98% of two-year-olds spending an average of 127 minutes a day watching TV, videos or other digital content on a screen. Passive screen time can start to replace talking and playing that are crucial for children’s speech, language and emotional development.
Research has found that children aged two with the highest screen use – about five hours a day – could say significantly fewer words than those with screen use of about 44 minutes a day. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of one hour’s screen time a day for children aged two to four.
The report did not establish a direct causation between screen time and a limited vocabulary, but highlighted the correlation as worthy of further investigation. It said other factors, such as the socio-economic background and home learning environment of families, would be explored in a longer report.
Along with language development, the research also found a quarter of all the children included in the survey scored above the threshold indicating possible behavioural or emotional problems.