How much screen time should toddlers have? None, Sweden says.

Paediatric health experts in the US and Ireland recommend no screens before 18 months, save for video chats with adults they know. That jumps to 2 years old for experts in Canada and Australia, which, like Sweden, does not make exceptions for chats. — Image by senivpetro on Freepik

LONDON: Swedish public health authorities recommended this week that children younger than two should not use any digital media, as parents, paediatricians and governments struggle to respond to the challenges of today’s tech-soaked world.

“We have to take back control,” said Jakob Forssmed, the minister of social affairs and public health, and give children “the ability to have a different kind of childhood”.