{
  "id": 10403834,
  "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",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T08:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "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 of 400 Korean parents reveals that more than half of toddlers begin using smartphones before the age of two, a stark contrast to international pediatric guidelines. According to the report published in the research journal MIND, 50.98% of children started using smartphones before turning two, while 77.64% began using them before turning three. The most common age for smartphone introduction was between 12 and 23 months, cited by 37.18% of respondents. Other age groups 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%). The study found that on weekdays, daily smartphone use typically lasted less than an hour, with 56.78% of parents reporting this. However, 32.74% of parents reported no smartphone use, and 9.46% reported one to three hours of use. Weekend screen time increased significantly, with the percentage of children using smartphones for one to three hours doubling to 22.58%.",
  "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": [],
  "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",
        "published": "2026-09-28T08:27:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}