Screen Time Trends for Children in 2026: The Numbers and What They Mean

Ofcom's latest Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes report, published in early 2026, provides the most comprehensive snapshot of how UK children are spending their time on screens. The data reveals both reassuring trends and areas of concern. Total daily screen time for 5- to 15-year-olds has stabilised at around 4 hours and 20 minutes per day — a slight decrease from the pandemic peak of nearly 5 hours. However, this headline figure masks significant variation. Children from lower-income households spend approximately 45 minutes more per day on screens than those from higher-income households, a persistent inequality gap that has widened since 2020. The biggest shift in 2026 is the dominance of short-form video. TikTok is now the single most-used platform among 8- to 15-year-olds, overtaking YouTube for the first time. Children report spending an average of 80 minutes per day on short-form video platforms. This raises concerns about attention spans, algorithmic exposure to harmful content, and the displacement of more active forms of entertainment and learning. Smartphone ownership continues to trend younger. The Ofcom data shows that 45% of 8-year-olds now have their own smartphone, up from 38% in 2024. For 12-year-olds, the figure is 91%. This early smartphone access is one of the most significant factors driving children's total screen time and their exposure to age-inappropriate content and social media platforms.