Nowadays, children are introduced to digital technology from an increasingly early age. For many, this is often before they can read or write.

• Parents reported that very young children are getting a mobile phone, with one in five (19%) 3-5s now having their own device
• Social media use among 3-5s has seen a significant increase up from 29% last year to 37%
• Most popular apps/sites for this age group include YouTube (85%), WhatsApp (31%), and Snapchat (23%) (Ofcom)

Benefits & risks of being online

There are potential benefits and challenges to young children going online, including (but not limited to):

Benefits

• Opportunities for play and entertainment
• Encouraging language development
• Improving skills, including numeracy and literacy
• Developing their digital skills and digital literacy from their first online interactions

Challenges

• Impacting their cognitive, social, and emotional development
• Negatively impacting their ability to control their emotions
• Impacting how they deal with social interactions and activities
• Accessing age-inappropriate content
• Too much sedentary screen time can lead to future health issues

Screen Advice

In the UK, there aren’t official screen time limits as the evidence base is not strong enough to support them.

Some people find following general guidance helpful, so you could use the World Health Organisation’s following recommendations for screen time:

• Under 1: Screen time is not recommended

• 1-year-olds: Sedentary screen time (e.g. watching TV or videos and playing computer games) is not recommended

• 2-year-olds: Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better

• Age 3 to 4: Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better

Using digital in early years settings

• For learning: If you use devices in your setting, they could be used as a tool to support a child’s learning and development, such as the CBeebies Learn app, or to support physical activity, such as Kids Yoga videos

• Teach and share about online safety: Help young children and their parents/carers understand what safe technology use looks like, using resources like those listed below

Resources

• Internet Matters – Information from Internet Matters for parents/carers on online safety for under 5s.
• Childnet – Online safety advice for parents and carers with young children.
• LGfL – Resources for early years professionals, teachers, and parents on online safety.
• Online Safety Starts Early – A 4-episode series for parents, carers, and educators of children under 5.
• Online Safety Guidance for Early Years Practitioners – Guidance from the UK Council for Internet Safety for early years settings to safeguard both children and adults online.
• Smartie the Penguin – A collection of six stories from Childnet exploring life online for 3-7 year olds.
• UK Safer Internet Centre – Resources for 3-11 year olds, including online safety films, storybooks, and other sites.

You can download our Being Online for Under 5s resource so you have all of this information to hand:

Aye Mind newsletter – Being Online for Under 5s

If you would like to subscribe, email ggc.mhead@nhs.scot and request to be added to the Aye Mind newsletter distribution list.