A country in Europe seems to have found the solution for limiting children's access to social networks. What the experts say

The influence of the digital world on children is a key factor of loneliness globally, indicates a report of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2025.

Researchers say that the use of “problem” of social networks is increasing among European adolescents. The excessive time spent in front of the screen was associated with reducing the physical activity and quality of sleep in children, as well as anxiety, depression, stress and social isolation. Thus, legislators and health experts in European countries have long demand warning labels and age limits for social media platforms, as well as banning mobile phones in schools, according to Euronews.com.

In September, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen, said he analyzes ways to implement restrictions on the use of social networks by children throughout the European Union.

But while authorities analyze the limitation of access to social networks, parents can help their children lead a healthier digital life on their own, experts believe.

Young children learn from examples, and “adults are glued to phones,” says Dr. Janna-Lina Karth, a pediatrician at the Düsseldorf University Hospital (UKD) in Germany. She speaks of a “vicious circle” in which the children fall, in which spending excessive time in front of the screens causes them to want to spend more time online.

The expert recommends parents to be aware of the time spent in front of the screen, for example. Setting objectives about the time spent in front of the screen at the family level, instead of simply limiting the time spent by online children, can also contribute to accepting this measure, says Dr. Janna-Lina Karth.

The total prohibition of social networks, smartphones or video games could have the unintentional consequence of making the banned things more attractive, adds Kerth. “It is important to discuss why something [online] It is interesting and why some games are more captivating than others, as well as the consequences it could have, ”she said.

Instead of total prohibitions, the expert recommends parents to carry out open, age -appropriate conversations, with their children about their concerns and the reasons for which they decided certain rules.

Not all the time spent in front of the screen is harmful

WHO recommends that minors under the age of five will spend at most an hour a day in front of the screens. Other groups go even further. Specialists in Germany and France say that children under three years should not be exposed to the screen.

Recommendations for older and older children are more varied, but experts agree that the shorter the time in front of the screen, the better.

Not all the time spent in front of the screen is the same, says the pediatrician in Germany. “There are many interactive and educational games that involve active consumption and not just the passive look at the screen,” Karth said.

The doctor suggests parents to ask children and adolescents directly about how they can fill the time left after limiting the time in front of the screen.

To avoid alienating children by their colleagues, it recommends registering them in a sports team or in another group activity. “It is easy to say” read a book “or” go out and play, “but there is something that depends on what your friends do,” Karth said.

The Swedish example

Some countries are looking for solutions that overcome prohibitions, to motivate children to give up phones. Sweden, for example, recently introduced a “recreational activities card” that partially covers the costs of organized activities, such as fitness clubs or foreign language courses, for Swedes between the ages of 8 and 16.

“More children should feel that they have a significant free time because they will have better, both physical and mental health. This is the main goal,” said Madeleine Larsson, project manager at the Swedish public health agency, for Euronews Health.

In parallel, in September this year, the Public Health Agency in Sweden has published new recommendations on the time spent by children in front of the screens, the AFP agency reports.

Children under two years old should be kept away from any screen, the source said. For children between two and five years old, the time spent in front of the screens should be limited to one hour per day, and for those between the ages of six and 12 this interval should not exceed two hours. Adolescents aged 13-18 should not spend more than two to three hours a day in front of the screens, according to the same agency.

The Swedish government also recently said that it takes into account the prohibition of smartphones in primary schools.

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