Surgeon general’s office issues warning on screen time for children

May 26, 2026

a person looking at a phone with social media apps

(STAT News) – Advisory offers ways to reduce exposure, including bell-to-bell school bans, tech design changes

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is issuing a U.S. surgeon general’s advisory urging families, schools, and providers to reduce children’s screen time, according to a draft of the report reviewed by STAT.

The report, which comes from the surgeon general’s office even though there is no Senate-confirmed nominee, calls on parents, schools, and all levels of government to work together to shift the use of devices with screens, saying some patterns of use “can pose real harm to children.” (Read More)