Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website to its version as of 12:00 AM on January 29, 2025. Information on this page may be modified and/or removed in the future subject to the terms of the court’s order and implemented consistent with applicable law. Any information on this page promoting gender ideology is extremely inaccurate and disconnected from truth. The Trump Administration rejects gender ideology due to the harms and divisiveness it causes. This page does not reflect reality and therefore the Administration and this Department reject it.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use - Advisory

About this resource:

HHS Non-systematic Review

Source: Office of the Surgeon General

Last Reviewed: May 2026

Workgroups: Physical Activity Workgroup

This report cites increased screen time among kids and teens and the potential harm it can cause.

The report lists actionable strategies for different groups to reduce the negative effects of screen time. These strategies are detailed in the accompanying Toolkit, but are organized around “the 5 Ds”:  

  • Discuss
  • Do
  • Delay
  • Divert
  • Disconnect 
Read more about this resource

Objectives related to this resource (2)

Increase the proportion of children aged 2 to 5 years who get no more than 1 hour of screen time a day — PA‑13
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of parents who follow AAP recommendations on limiting screen time for children aged 6 to 17 years — PA‑R02
Research

Suggested Citation

1.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Surgeon General. (2026). U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory, Surgeon General's Warning on the Harms of Screen Use. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/us-surgeon-generals-advisory-warning-on-the-harms-of-screen-use.pdf [PDF - 9.1 MB].