April 29, 2026
Baby’s first binge-watch
Two-thirds of babies watch screens – some for eight hours a day
Parents are split between “screen survival mode” and “hard mode parenting”
TLDR: A new report says most babies under two are watching screens, with some exposed for shockingly long stretches each day. Online, parents are fiercely split between “we’re doing our best to survive” and “screens are changing kids for the worse,” turning one study into a full parenting culture war.
The big number sending parents into a full-blown comment-section spiral: a new report says more than two-thirds of babies under two are using screens, and some are reportedly getting up to eight hours a day. The advice from government is simple — ideally no screens at all for under-twos except things like video calls with family — but the reaction online was basically: that’s not how real life works. One parent admitted TV helps while chores get done and said they’re not panicking because they carefully choose what their child watches. Another called no-screen parenting the new “hard mode,” wondering if all the effort will even matter in 10 years.
And then came the comments that really lit the fuse. One stunned shopper described a toddler in a stroller expertly hitting the “skip ad” button on YouTube, which became the thread’s unofficial horror-comedy image: babies who can’t tie shoes but can already dodge ads better than adults. On the opposite end were proud no-screen parents saying their kids are now “miles ahead” in focus, behavior, and social skills — while also confessing they get treated like total weirdos for it. That sparked the classic internet showdown: Is screen time ruining childhood, or are exhausted parents being judged for surviving? Even the nostalgic crowd showed up, with one sweet-but-chaotic compromise winning applause: Saturday morning cartoons as a sacred family ritual. Behind the drama, the report also points at a bigger villain than mums and dads alone: lack of childcare, relentless daily pressure, and tech platforms still slapping “0+” labels on content like it’s all harmless background noise.
Key Points
- •A report found that more than two-thirds of babies under two use screens, with some exposed for up to eight hours a day.
- •Nearly one-third of newborns were reported to watch screens for more than three hours daily, and almost 20 per cent of infants aged four to 11 months used screens for more than an hour a day.
- •The study was conducted by the 1001 Critical Days Foundation and the iAddict research group using an online survey, focus groups, and a literature review.
- •Researchers found evidence in existing studies linking screen time to poorer outcomes including obesity risk, short-sightedness, sleep problems, behavioural difficulties, and later friendship challenges.
- •Parents reported using screens for children’s education, entertainment, play, and communication, while caregivers also used them to occupy children while handling work, chores, and other responsibilities.