Reusable handwriting practice — write, let it fade, repeat

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Screen Time for Young Children: The New Guidelines and 7 Screen-Free Activities

Screen-free drawing activity book for young children

Screens are part of family life, but the advice for young children is becoming clearer – and stricter. In recent months, both Italian paediatricians and the UK government have published new recommendations.

What Italian paediatricians recommend

In November 2025, the Italian Society of Paediatrics (SIP) presented updated recommendations on children and digital devices at the Italian Senate, based on a review of more than 6,800 studies. The key points:

  • 0–2 years: no devices.
  • 2–5 years: less than one hour a day, with an adult.
  • Over 5: less than two hours a day, always with adult supervision.
  • First smartphone: not before age 13.
  • No devices at mealtimes or before bed.

The UK's first national guidance for under-fives

In March 2026, the UK Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care published the country's first screen-time guidance for under-fives, after consulting more than 1,000 parents. It advises no screen time for under-2s except shared, interactive activities, no more than one hour a day for children aged 2 to 5, and no screens at meals or in the hour before bed. It also recommends slow-paced, age-appropriate content, watched together with an adult. Figures published with the guidance show that 98% of two-year-olds in the UK use screens every day.

7 screen-free activities for young children

  1. Tracing letters and numbers – a calm activity that builds fine-motor skills and prepares for school.
  2. Free drawing – crayons and paper are still one of the best creative tools.
  3. Reading together – one picture book a day, with your child turning the pages.
  4. Play dough – squeezing, rolling and shaping strengthen the hand muscles used for writing.
  5. Counting games in the kitchen – count spoons, sort pasta shapes, measure ingredients together.
  6. Letters in sand or flour – a sensory way to learn letter shapes.
  7. Outdoor play – running, climbing and ball games every day.

A screen-free routine that's easy to keep

Cutting screen time works best when there's an alternative always ready. The EUROROX™ Magic Practice Copybook is a good one: four reusable books for letters, numbers, maths and drawing, with ink that disappears by itself so the pages can be used again and again – at home or on the go.

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