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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 - Toolkit

About this resource:

HHS Non-systematic Review

Source: Office of the Surgeon General

Last Reviewed: May 2026

Workgroups: Physical Activity Workgroup

This toolkit provides actionable strategies to protect children and teens from the harmful effects of screen time. The toolkit includes specific recommendations for:

  • Children and teens
  • Families
  • Schools
  • Health care providers
  • Researchers
  • Policymakers
  • Technology companies

There is also guidance for how to create school policies around using cell phones and other digital devices.

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). Surgeon General's Warning on the Harms of Screen Use Toolkit. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/us-surgeon-generals-advisory-warning-on-the-harms-of-screen-use-toolkit.pdf [PDF - 13.6 MB].