This is how much screen time your child should be allowed before it becomes harmful

Children under the age of two should not be allowed to watch television or use smartphones, tablets or computers, according to new guidelines from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The new recommendations cover physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under the age of five.

What are the new recommendations?

The WHO has recommended that children under 12 months old should be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways.

This should include floor-based play, and for those not yet mobile, at least 30 minutes in a prone position (tummy time) while awake.

Babies should also not be restrained for more than an hour at a time in prams or high chairs, and should not be given any screen time.

Children between one and two years of age should also not be allowed any screen time at all and spend a minimum of three hours a day doing physical activity.

They should also not be restrained for more than an hour at a time in a pram or a high chair.

Children between two and five should be allowed no more than one hour of screen time a day, states the WHO.

Why is this important?

The WHO says that failure to meet physical activity recommendations is responsible for more than five million deaths globally each year across all age groups.

More than 23 per cent of adults and 80 per cent of adolescents do not do enough physical activity.