{
  "id": 10400142,
  "title": "Korean toddlers' screen time clashes with WHO standards: survey",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/korean-toddlers-screen-time-clashes-with-who-standards-survey",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T08:27:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20260928/korean-toddlers-screen-time-clashes-with-who-standards-survey"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A recent survey reveals alarming trends in screen time usage among Korean toddlers, with more than half of these young children beginning to use smartphones before their second birthday, a practice that defies recommended pediatric guidelines. Conducted among 400 parents, the study found that 50.98% of toddlers started using smartphones before reaching the age of 2, while 77.64% initiated usage before they turned 3. The findings were published in the Mental Health Research Institute's research journal, MIND.\n\nThe most common age for toddlers to start using smartphones was between 12 and 23 months, cited by 37.18% of parents. Other age ranges included 24 to 35 months (26.66%), zero to 11 months (13.80%), 36 to 47 months (12.39%), and 48 to 59 months (12.96%). A smaller percentage of children, 9.46%, reported using smartphones for one to three hours on weekends, while 22.58% had usage rates that more than doubled during the same period.",
  "summary": "More than half of Korean toddlers begin using smartphones before their second birthday, running counter to international pediatric guidelines. According to a survey of 400 parents published Monday, 50.98 percent of children started using smartphones before age 2, and 77.64 percent began before age 3. The findings appeared in the research journal MIND, published by the Mental Health Research…",
  "key_points": [
    "50.98% of Korean toddlers use smartphones before age 2, exceeding WHO guidelines.",
    "77.64% start using smartphones before age 3, as per Mental Health Research Institute study.",
    "Most common age for smartphone use is 12-23 months, cited by 37.18% of parents."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Korean toddlers' screen time clashes with WHO standards: survey",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/korean-toddlers-screen-time-clashes-with-who-standards-survey-10403834",
        "published": "2026-09-28T08:52:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}