Screen ban urged to protect kids' eyesight

Authorities have issued a guideline strongly recommending a complete ban on mobile phones, computers and other screen-based electronic products for children aged 0 to 3.

The move is part of a broader national strategy to protect children's physiological "far-sight reserve" and curb the growing prevalence of myopia at its earliest stages.

The notice, released by the Ministry of Education, the National Health Commission, and the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, emphasizes the critical importance of preserving far-sight reserve — a natural hyperopic condition in young children due to their shorter eyeballs.

According to the Ministry of Education, the incidence of myopia among schoolchildren increased to 51.9 percent in 2022, with rates among high school students reaching more than 80 percent. In 2021, the ministry issued a total ban on smartphone use in classrooms at all primary and secondary schools.

Normally, children are born with approximately 250 to 300 degrees of hyperopic reserve, which gradually diminishes as they grow and typically develops into normal vision by ages 12 to 15. A premature decline in this reserve serves as an early warning signal for myopia, the guideline said.

The guideline outlines targeted measures for different age groups. For infants and toddlers aged between 0 and 3, it recommends no screen time, avoiding early and prolonged close-range visual activities, ensuring more than 10 hours of sleep daily, and increasing outdoor exposure to sunlight.

For preschoolers aged 3 to 6, outdoor play should be the main activity, and contact with electronic screens minimized. Kindergartens are prohibited from providing primary school-style instruction under the guise of preparatory classes. Instead, they are encouraged to design sports and games that support visual tracking.

Primary schools are required to develop physical exercise plans suitable for children's development, guarantee at least two hours of outdoor activity per day, and foster proper eye-using habits to prevent premature depletion of far-sight reserve.

Health institutions are directed to conduct regular refractive screenings for children at 2, 3, 4,5, and 6 years of age. Schools must carry out vision tests twice per semester, monitor trends in far-sight reserve, and maintain standardized records.

Children identified with low far-sight reserve or other risk factors will be flagged for targeted intervention and, when necessary, referred to professional medical institutions for further diagnosis.

Parents are advised to lead by example — reducing their own screen time in front of children, especially during holidays — and to create a visually healthy home environment. This includes adjusting desk and chair heights and teaching children to maintain proper posture and follow the "20-20-20" rule: after every 20 minutes of near work, look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Schools are encouraged to assign physical education homework and use parent-teacher meetings to promote scientific knowledge on eye care, helping families adopt correct practices to protect children's vision.

Training for school medical staff will be enhanced to support effective health education on campus, fostering a collaborative atmosphere among families, schools, medical institutions, and communities to protect children's eye health from an early age.