{"id":59425,"date":"2026-06-05T17:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/?p=59425"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:33:23","slug":"sweden-is-fighting-digital-addiction-in-parents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/findmykids.org\/blog\/en\/sweden-is-fighting-digital-addiction-in-parents","title":{"rendered":"Sweden is fighting digital addiction \u2014 in parents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sweden\u2019s Public Health Agency has issued<\/a> new recommendations for parents: put away your phone when interacting with your child, make the bedroom and dining table screen-free zones, and stop posting photos of\u00a0children on\u00a0social media.<\/strong> Two years ago, the agency limited itself to\u00a0advising parents to\u00a0\u201creflect on\u00a0their habits\u201d\u00a0\u2014 now the guidelines are far more specific and firm.<\/p>\n

The recommendations came after the government received findings from recent studies showing that parental screen use harms the quality of\u00a0parent-child interaction, and that children whose parents are constantly on\u00a0their phones adopt the same habits and are more prone to\u00a0screen addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how much their relationship with gadgets affects their children,\u201d said Minister of\u00a0Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed.<\/p>\n

Sweden has been tightening its rules consistently for several years. Age-based screen time limits are already in\u00a0place for children: no\u00a0phones before age two, one hour a\u00a0day from two to\u00a0five, two hours from six to\u00a0twelve, and no\u00a0more than three hours for teenagers. Smartphones and tablets must stay out of\u00a0the bedroom at\u00a0night. From autumn 2026, phones will be\u00a0banned in\u00a0schools for students up\u00a0to\u00a0grade 9. Now it\u2019s the parents\u2019 turn.<\/p>\n

What you can do\u00a0right now<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Put away your phone during meals. The dining table is\u00a0where the whole family gathers\u00a0\u2014 it\u2019s a\u00a0time to\u00a0talk and look at\u00a0each other without the glow of\u00a0blue screens.<\/li>\n
  • Set rules for the whole family, not just the children. They work better when they apply to\u00a0everyone, not just the child.<\/li>\n
  • Don\u2019t scroll through your feed while your child is\u00a0showing or\u00a0telling you something. Children notice when an\u00a0adult is\u00a0looking at\u00a0a\u00a0screen instead of\u00a0talking to\u00a0them, and they draw conclusions.<\/li>\n
  • Think before posting photos of\u00a0your children. The Swedish agency specifically recommends protecting a\u00a0child\u2019s digital privacy before they are old enough to\u00a0make decisions for themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t