Russell Viner

Professor Russell Viner is a children's health expert who recently co-led a panel, alongside the children’s commissioner Rachel de Souza, that developed new official guidance in the UK regarding screen time for children under five. This guidance recommends limiting screen time to no more than an hour a day for this age group. Viner's involvement in creating this guidance makes him newsworthy, as the UK government is preparing to issue advice to parents for the first time on managing screen use in young children. The guidance comes amid growing concerns and research indicating that excessive screen time can negatively impact toddlers' vocabulary development and potentially lead to addiction. The issue is further highlighted by Keir Starmer's pledge to challenge social media companies to protect children, making Viner's expertise and the guidance he helped create highly relevant in the ongoing debate about children's screen time and its effects.