WTAS: HHS Calls For Urgent Action To Reduce Harmful Screen Use And Protect Children Online

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Surgeon General released the Warning on the Harms of Screen Use: An Advisory and Toolkit on How to Protect Children and Youth to help parents, schools, and communities address the mounting risks associated with excessive and harmful screen time. 

The Surgeon General’s advisory highlights the growing evidence linking excessive screen time to sleep disruption, mental health challenges, and other negative health outcomes among children and adolescents. National estimates show adolescents spend an average seven to nine hours a day on entertainment screens, with many reporting device use late into the night.

Here’s how leaders, advocates, and the media are responding to the advisory and toolkit:

Government Officials
Advocates & Organizations
Influencers & Members of the Media
Medical Professionals & Academics:
Headlines

Government Officials:

• Gov. Kim Reynolds (@IAGovernor) via X: “Thank you for helping kids to #LiveRealLife”
• Sen. Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) via X: “I commend the @Surgeon_General for examining the issue.”
• Rep. Erin Houchin (@RepHouchin) via X: “The Surgeon General just confirmed what parents already know: excessive screen time is hurting our kids. I am encouraged to see this action…”
• Arielle Roth, Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (@ArielleRothNTIA) via X: “Congratulations to @Dr_Haridopolosand her team on the rollout of this important @HHSGov advisory & toolkit addressing the harms of unhealthy screen use among children. This is exactly the kind of common-sense leadership American families deserve.”

Advocates & Organizations:

• Clare Morell, Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center (@ClareMorellEPPC) via X: “For the first time. That is wild. Thankful to see this leadership calling attention to how screens are harming our children.”
• Ryan Kennedy, COO, Florida Citizens Alliance (@ryankennedy63) via X: “I am glad to see the attention on an issue we know has impacts on children.”
• David Mansdoerfer, Acting Chairman, the Wilson Center (@Dpmansdo) via X: “Yes, yes and yes!”
• American Association of School Superintendents Chief Advocacy and Governance Officer, Noelle Ellergson, via blog: “For schools, the advisory includes several notable recommendations—such as bell-to-bell cellphone restrictions, increased use of paper-based materials, expanded digital literacy instruction, and limiting individually assigned devices outside of computer lab settings. It also appropriately recognizes exceptions for students who rely on technology for learning, accessibility, or health needs. These recommendations are inclusive of parents, educators, policymakers and companies. This is a good thing, in that parents are often excluded in documents like these when it comes to roles and responsibilities in supporting student/child access and management of screentime.”
• The Kids Mental Health Foundation Executive Clinical Director and pediatric psychologist, Ariana Hoet, via ABC News: “We are now at a time when parents have become aware of some of the harmful mental health effects screens can have on their children…However, they find themselves at a loss of how to take action...Parents also need to be aware of what real-life experiences, like getting outside to ride bikes or play with their friends, kids are missing out on because they would rather be on their digital devices.”
• The Kids Mental Health Foundation Associate Clinical Director, Raglin Bignall, via EdSurge: “There might be kids who need less [screen time], or those who are doing lots of different types of things with that content that's interactive that is not harmful…Nevertheless, it should be monitored. By doing that, we make sure that we're not doing too much [with screens], and that whatever we are doing is beneficial.”
• Child Mind Institute President Harold Koplewicz via ABC News: “Kids shouldn't have phones in school…If your mom or dad really needs to get a hold of you, call the office…There's nothing positive about distraction.”
• American Parents Coalition (@USAParent) via X: “Children are growing up in an environment where constant screen exposure is treated as normal from infancy onward. This is no longer just a parenting challenge. It’s a public health crisis reshaping childhood, development, attention spans, and mental health in real time.”
• Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) via X: “BREAKING: HHS Releases Surgeon General’s Warning on Screen Time for Kids”
• Children’s Health Defense (@ChildrensHD) via X: “Your child’s screen time impacts them both mentally and physically. Do your kids a favor, get them OUTSIDE.”
• AMAC, the Association of Mature American Citizens (@AMACforAmerica) via X: “‘For the first time in American history, the Office of the Surgeon General is issuing an official advisory, warning parents and the public about the dangers of excessive screen time and harmful digital media exposures for children.’ - HHS Secretary RFK Jr.”

Influencers & Members of the Media:

• NBC Today Host Savannah Guthrie via NBC: “This is like the battle of the ages for parents and kids, trying to protect their kids online, it’s really hard.”
• CNN Host Brianna Keilar via CNN: “I like to come home with these stories, Boris, and say to my kids ‘do you know what a court just found about social media’ or I’ll say ‘do you know what Australia just banned?’ Now I can say, ‘do you know what the surgeon general advisory says?’…They place so much authority in these kinds of things.”
• Newsmax American Agenda Host Katrina Szish via Newsmax: “We appreciate [Dr. Haridoplos] bringing this to our attention. And of course also to the attention of the country. Very, very important for the future.”
• Meg Brock, Investigative Reporter, Daily Wire (@MegEBrock) via X: “I’m so thankful for the common sense approach he’s [Secretary Kennedy] taken in leading HHS. Also—don’t give your kid a screen.”
• Julie Barrett (@juliecbarrett) via X: “The US Surgeon General issues an advisory on the harms of screen use for children. This is a very real and important issue. ‘Our message to children is simple: life exists beyond the screen.’— Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr”
• Gary Brecka (@thegarybrecka) via X: “Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos from HHS explains why screen exposure before 18 months may alter brain development, why social media consumption is becoming one of the biggest concerns among parents, and why the Surgeon General’s office is now sounding the alarm.”
• Good Morning America (@GMA) via X: “A new surgeon general advisory on adolescent screen time is urging kids to put down their phones and ‘be in the moment,’ but stops short of recommending specific screen-time limits. @sophieflayabc reports.”
• NTD News (@NTD_Live) via X: “The surgeon general’s office warned Americans that many children are spending excessive time on screens, and that screen time has been associated with problems such as difficulty paying attention. ‘Early exposure to screens carries developmental and cognitive risks. Screen use in early life is linked to poorer language outcomes,’ the advisory states, pointing to research that found children who used screens more had poorer language skills.”
• Gabrielle M. Etzel, Healthcare Reporter, Washington Examiner (@UnvarnishedGME) via X: “SCOOP: HHS issued a Surgeon General advisory on screen time for children and teenagers as evidence mounts about its negative effects on brain development. Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, National Health Communications director, told me during an exclusive interview that the goal isn't to scold parents. ‘We are not trying to tell parents they’re not doing a good job,’ Haridopolos said. ‘We need to just let them know what the evidence is out there, so they can be empowered with knowledge to make those decisions.’”

Medical Professionals & Academics:

• Alleghany Network Pediatric Institute Chair, Dr. Joe Aracri, via WFMJ: “We’re seeing a lot of things happening from excessive screentime. Many things include the obvious, physical debilitation. Kids are not out playing, they’re not running around, not exercising as much as they were in the past so that’s the obvious. The other things we’re starting to see are like small motor delays in addition to other problems including social anxiety, attention deficit issues, trouble socializing and interacting with other people…Whenever the kids are using social media or gaming or playing on their phones, they’re actually getting feedback from the interaction which can be quite rewarding to them physiologically with a dopamine rush. So the big thing that we’re seeing is that they would rather do that than interact with people around them. They feel safer, they don’t have to be challenged, and they get that dopamine feed that feels good whenever they’re doing that.”
• Fairleigh Dickinson University Professor of Communication and author, Kara Alaimo, via CNN: “If you’ve ever tried to take a device away from a child, you’ve probably noticed it’s highly unpleasant. That’s because these devices are designed to get us all addicted. It’s far healthier for children to be playing, socializing, moving their bodies and getting outdoors.”
• Kaiser Permanente Pediatrician, Dr. Keedra McNeill, via KTVU: “If you remember, twenty years ago, we didn't even have access to these 3D printers and these other types of devices that the kids are using now, but we were still able to pursue our creative pursuits, and kids should be encouraged to do those things off screen as much as possible.”
• Joel “Gator” Warsh, MD (@DrJoelGator) via X: “Breaking: Surgeon General warning on the harms of screen use in kids released by HHS. Good message. Important topic…I’m thankful we’re finally talking seriously about kids, screens, sleep, anxiety, attention, and development.”
• Vibeke Manniche, MD, PhD (@MannicheVibeke) via X: “Wise @SecKennedy”

Headlines:

• CNN: New surgeon general’s advisory raises alarm about screen time risks for kids and teens
• Fox News: [CLIP] Surgeon general warns on harmful screen time effects for children
• USA Today: New surgeon general advisory suggests screentime limits for kids
• STAT: Surgeon general’s office issues warning on screen time for children
• Today: [CLIP] Surgeon General Issues Suggested Screen Time Limits for Kids
• New York Post: RFK Jr. wants kids to get off screens and be human
• EdWeek: Trump’s Surgeon General’s Office Advises Schools to Limit Screen Time
• Washington Examiner: Surgeon general advisory raises concern about screen time for children and teenagers
• The National News Desk: ‘Life exists beyond the screen,’ RFK Jr. says on initiative on youth screen time guidance
• The Hill: HHS warns of children’s screen time use, citing impact on sleep, mental health
• The Hill: How little screen time should your kids have? Federal report offers guidance
• ABC News: ‘Get off your phones’: Surgeon general advisory calls on kids to cut screen time
• Forbes: The New Surgeon General Advisory On The Harms Of Screen Use—Here’s What The Science Says About Risks And Benefits
• NewsNation: HHS warns of children’s screen time use, citing impact on sleep, mental health
• The New York Times: A Vacant Surgeon General’s Office Issues a Warning About Screen Time
• New York Sun: New Surgeon General’s Advisory Warns Screen Use by Children Is a Growing Public Health Concern
• The Guardian: Trump health officials issue advisory on children and teens’ excessive screen time
• UPI: Government issues surgeon general's advisory on children's screen time
• Des Moines Register: RFK Jr. unveils surgeon general's advisory on youth screen time
• KCCI: Iowa limits classroom screen time as RFK Jr. promotes new surgeon general warning
• KIWA: During Iowa Stop, US HHS Secretary Issues New Warning About Excessive Screen Use by Kids
• Radio Iowa: In Iowa, RFK, Jr. issues Surgeon General’s Warning about kids’ screen time
• WFMJ: Surgeon General issues warning about screen time
• KTVU: Surgeon General warns of screen time dangers for kids; Bay Area pediatrician weighs in
• K-12 Dive: Surgeon general advisory urges caution on youth screen use
• Scientific American: Screen time limits can protect children’s health, U.S. surgeon general advisory says
• EdSurge: Surgeon General Advisory Wants Kids to Live ‘Beyond the Confines of Screens’
• International Business Times: Screen Time Is Harmful To Children And Should Be Limited, Surgeon General Warns
• Public Health Policy Journal: BREAKING: HHS Releases Surgeon General’s Warning on Screen Time for Kids
• Psychiatric Times: The New Plan to Protect Youth Online: Surgeon General’s Warning on Harms of Screen Use
• Law and Society Magazine: New surgeon general’s advisory raises alarm about screen time risks for kids and teens