Children of the 2020s: home learning environment and screen time at age 2
In January 2026, the Department for Education published its second summary of key findings from the Children of the 2020s (COT20s) study on the home learning environment at age 2, including screen time and digital media use.
This phase of the research was carried out by UCL - you can read their key summary of the findings here:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jan/toddlers-spending-two-hours-screens-day
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no more than one hour a day of screen time for children aged 2 to 4.
In this longitudinal survey of over 4700 parents of 2-year-olds in England, almost all the 2-year-olds (98%) viewed screens on a typical day, and they did so for an average of 129 minutes a day. Only 34% met the WHO recommendation of one hour or less of screen time on a typical day. A fifth of the toddlers also regularly played computer games.
The research found that higher screen use among children is linked to poorer language and vocabulary development and higher rates of emotional and behavioural difficulties.