Sweden Health Agency Tells Parents To Put Down Phones

Sweden's public health agency on Monday called on parents to put their phones away when spending time with their children. The Public Health Agency of Sweden said the new recommendations follow research into the impact of screen use. Since 2024, the agency has recommended that parents "reflect" on their use of smartphones around children, but in the new recommendations it offered more concrete suggestions. "Put your phone away when you're with your child. Use it only if you need to, or when you're using it together," the health authority said in a statement. It also encouraged parents to develop "healthy screen habits for yourself," adding that this would influence the habits of children.

The health agency said research showed that parents' screen use could negatively affect their interactions with their children, and that children of parents who use screens a lot were more likely to develop similar habits. Parents were also recommended to adopt "screen-free zones" that it recommended for children, such as in the bedroom or around the dinner table.

"Children are not only affected by what adults say, but also by what adults do. That's why small changes in everyday life can make a difference both for interactions in the present and for the child's own habits over time," Helena Frielingsdorf, a psychiatrist working at the agency, said in a statement. The Nordic country has in recent years sought to reduce the amount of time children spend on phones. In January, the government said it would ban smartphones in schools for children up to grade nine, meaning children up to the age of 15-16.