KawiParent guide · screens
Screen time for children aged 3 to 6: what the official guidance really says.
How much screen time for a child of 3, 4 or 5? Three official sources answer, and they agree: the World Health Organization, Luxembourg's Ministry of Education, and BEE SECURE, the national service for safe digital use. Here is what they say, nothing added, and what it means when you want to teach your child Luxembourgish.
The guidance at a glance
| Age | WHO (2019) | Luxembourg (ministry 2024, BEE SECURE 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 | At 1, no sedentary screen time. At 2, no more than 1 hour, and less is better. | Avoid any exposure to screens. |
| 3 and 4 | No more than 1 hour of sedentary screen time, and less is better. | Age-appropriate content, an adult alongside, clear limits (for example one episode, about 30 minutes). |
| 5 and 6 | The WHO guidelines stop before age 5. | The same guidance as for ages 3 to 6. |
Sources: WHO news release, 24 April 2019, Ministry of Education Screen-Life-Balance press kit, 30 September 2024 (in French), BEE SECURE poster “Screens in the family”, February 2026.
What the WHO says
In 2019, the WHO published its first guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for children under 5. For children aged 3 and 4, they ask for at least 180 minutes of physical activity a day, including at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, 10 to 13 hours of sleep, and no more than one hour of sedentary screen time: “less is better”.
The most useful part is what they suggest instead: when the child is sitting, reading and storytelling with a caregiver. The release also mentions singing and puzzles.
What Luxembourg recommends
On 30 September 2024, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth presented its Screen-Life-Balance campaign, launched on 1 October and summed up in three sentences: Keen Ecran ënner 3. Keen eegene Smartphone ënner 12. Keng sozial Medien ënner 15. No screens under 3, no smartphone of their own under 12, no social media under 15. The ministry says it draws on psychiatrist Serge Tisseron's 3-6-9-12+ guidelines.
Under 3, the recommendation is to avoid any exposure, including to content presented as “educational”. In the same press kit, the ministry announced a ban on screens in early childhood education and care settings, written into its agreements with crèches from January 2025.
From 3 to 6: the BEE SECURE steps
For ages 3 to 6, the BEE SECURE poster “Screens in the family” (February 2026) says to choose age-appropriate content and to guide the child, with simple steps:
- No device of their own. No console, tablet or smartphone at their disposal.
- In shared rooms. Screens are used where the family lives, in sight of an adult.
- A clear limit. For example one episode, or about 30 minutes: an end the child can understand.
- A warning before switching off. Saying it five minutes ahead helps the child get ready.
A question or a worry? The BEE SECURE Helpline answers parents confidentially on 8002 1234 (from a Luxembourg network).
Why language is at stake
The ministry's press kit explains why screens weigh on language: they reduce the time a child spends interacting with the people around them, and they do not respond to the child's attempts to communicate (facial expressions, sounds, gestures), which are essential to language development. It cites studies showing that children who spend a lot of time in front of screens often have a smaller vocabulary.
For a child discovering Luxembourgish, conversation does the work. A song learned together, a word repeated at bath time, a story told aloud: Luxembourgish nursery rhymes to sing with a child do exactly what the WHO suggests doing instead of a screen.
And an app to learn Luxembourgish?
An app is still a screen, and the same guidance applies: on the parent's device, not a tablet of the child's own, in a short session, with an adult beside them, and a clear end. These are also the criteria that sort apps: a good app gives the parent a role, does not push the child to stay, and shows no ads.
You can also keep the screen out of the child's sight. With printable Luxembourgish cards to play without a screen, the phone only plays the real pronunciation: the child looks at the cards and at you, not at the screen. And to choose an app, here are our criteria for an ad-free app at age 3.
Short sessions, to share.
Kawi plays the Luxembourgish words of the classroom, with the official pronunciation, in short sessions designed for a parent and child, and in printable cards to play without a screen. Free to start.