US HHS issues urgent warning on children’s screen use amid rise in myopia and mental health concerns

The US Department of Health and Human Services has issued a landmark advisory highlighting the risks of early and excessive screen exposure for children, linking it to rising rates of myopia, behavioural issues, and mental health challenges, and promoting practical steps for healthier routines.

The US Department of Health and Human Services is pressing ahead with a warning on children’s screen use, with principal deputy assistant secretary for health Stephanie Haridopolos arguing that the issue now sits at the centre of a wider push to improve children’s physical and mental wellbeing. In an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation, Haridopolos described the Surgeon General’s advisory as a defining achievement and said the department did not want to delay any longer before setting out its case. The HHS advisory itself says early and excessive screen exposure can affect development, learning, sleep and mental health, especially for teenagers using social media.

Haridopolos said the department focused on more than just time spent online, pointing to obesity, short-sightedness, anxiety and behavioural concerns. HHS’s May release paired the advisory with a toolkit for parents, educators, policymakers and technology companies, and said the aim was to move beyond warning labels towards practical steps that could reduce harm. The department also linked the initiative to broader concerns about poor educational outcomes and the way some classroom technology has been adopted, with the advisory highlighting developmental and cognitive risks from early exposure to screens.

One of the clearest health warnings in the debate is myopia, or short-sightedness. Haridopolos told the DCNF that children need more time outdoors and less close-up screen viewing, and said prolonged near work and reduced daylight exposure can contribute to eye strain. She cited estimates that nearly 40 per cent of children and adolescents worldwide could be short-sighted by 2050 if current trends continue. Medical literature also notes that myopia can carry longer-term risks, including a higher chance of later eye disease, which is why public health officials increasingly treat it as more than a simple vision inconvenience.

The advisory has also been folded into the broader Make America Healthy Again agenda championed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. HHS said in May that the warning was meant to raise national awareness of the effects of excessive screen use, including social isolation, physical inactivity, digital dependence and exposure to harmful content. Haridopolos said the aim is not to reject technology, but to promote what she called digital citizenship and to push families towards healthier routines. She said the department wants the guidance to shape future policy, while a September symposium is expected to add fresh announcements to the effort.