The new guidance, which follows weeks of engagement with over a thousand parents, is available for free on the Best Start in Life website.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘We know that sleep, play and face-to-face interaction are fundamental to how children grow, learn and thrive. Screens, when overused in those crucial early years, can get in the way of all of that.  

‘The early years are a critical period for development. That's why we are acting now, to give parents the clear, practical tools they've been asking for - backed by the best available evidence.'

A quarter (24%) of parents of 3‑ to 5‑year‑olds find it hard to control their child's screen time and 98% of two‑year‑olds watching screens every day. 

Key tips in the guidance include: avoiding screen time other than for shared activities that encourage bonding, interaction and conversation for the under 2s; no more than one hour a day for 2 to 5-year-olds; choosing slow-paced, age-appropriate content; and watching or using screens together with parents.

The guidance is underpinned by the findings of an expert panel report led by the Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner, a paediatrician and expert in children's health.

Proposed measures in the Government's wider consultation on social media include a minimum age for social media, raising the digital age of consent, overnight curfews for certain age groups, restrictions on AI chatbots for young people and whether school mobile phone guidance should be made statutory.