In today’s digital world, screens are everywhere, but too much screen time is having a detrimental effect on young children’s development.
We want to raise awareness of this issue directly with families and provide resources to help practitioners to do the same. Our new campaign focuses on reducing screen time for children under five and encouraging parents to engage in play. 50 Things to Do Before You're Five is designed to support your child’s development through interactions with family members and their environment, without a screen.
Through play, children build essential skills like communication, problem-
75%
of 18 month olds are exposed to screens daily.
1 in 5
of 3-4 year olds have their own smartphone.
52%
of 3-4 years olds are online 9 hours a week.
What’s the Problem?
Research is reporting that physical activity levels for children are lower than recommended, and many are not getting the minimum amount of exercise needed for healthy growth.
Speech and Language UK report there are now 1.9 million children with speech and language challenges in the UK, an increase of 27% in the past 2 years.
Research indicates that toddlers exposed to screens during meals are more likely to develop habits of eating in front of screens, which is associated with higher consumption of ultra-processed foods
Excessive screen usage can impair emotional comprehension, promote aggressive behaviour, and hinder social and emotional competence.
Research shows that using screens too much, especially before bed, can make it harder to sleep. This is because the blue light from screens and the mental stimulation can interfere with falling asleep.
Spending too much time looking at screens is causing more children to become nearsighted. In 1990, about 1 in 4 children were nearsighted, but by 2023 that number had grown to over 1 in 3 – and it's expected to keep rising.
How We Can Work Together
There are many ways that you can get involved with our #LessScreenTimeMorePlayTime campaign.
Check out the different resources below and download our Campaign Toolkit for more information!
How to get involved
This campaign is an opportunity to create a shared and unifying message across early years, childcare, and parenting communities, showing the country that reducing screen time and encouraging real-world play is vital for young children's development.
Download our social media assets, and help us spread the message by:
✔ Using the campaign’s key messages and assets in your communications with parents and caregivers
✔ Sharing the campaign content across your social media, website, and newsletters
✔ Including the hashtag #LessScreenTimeMorePlayTime in your social media posts to reach more families
✔ Talking to early years professionals and educators about the importance of play in child development
✔ Linking to the campaign website from your website to provide families with expert advice and resources
✔ Emailing us at info@50thingstodo.org if you have inspiring stories or case studies to feature in the campaign
Let’s work together to encourage less screen time and more play time, giving young children the best start in life!
Our Supporters
