GILBERT — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a new U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory outlining the harm excessive screen time causes youth during a visit to Gilbert Community School District May 20.
The report lays out the social and emotional effects of screen time and device usage can have on children up to age 18, particularly the developmental and cognitive impacts on young children and the negative impact on teens’ mental health.
“Screens are not the only driver of chronic disease and mental health crisis affecting children,” Kennedy said during the announcement, “but they’re a major contributor, and public health leaders can no longer ignore the scale of the problem, and that is why the Trump administration is taking decisive action today.”
Kennedy’s May 20 announcement comes at a time when lawmakers nationally continue to pass laws curbing the use of cellphones during the school day. In May 2025, Reynolds’ signed into law a bill limiting cellphone use by students during school hours.
Earlier Wednesday, Kennedy was with Gov. Kim Reynolds as she signed Iowa’s version of the Make America Health Again law that restricts digital screen time for elementary school students to one hour a day. It applies to laptops, tablets and other instructional technology used to educate children.
Kennedy made his announcement in Gilbert schools’ newly constructed elementary school — which is slated to open for the coming 2026-27 school year.
The limit to screen time is just one piece of Kennedy and President Trump’s ongoing MAHA campaign. The secretary has pushed for changes to health-related guidelines for children ranging from altering vaccination recommendations, limiting ultra-processed foods, increasing exercise regimens and changing school lunches.
The Surgeon General’s advisory gives parents’ tools that are practical and science-based to help children create healthier device habits at home and protect them online, Kennedy said.
“… (P)arents cannot solve this problem alone,” Kennedy said. “Schools should limit unnecessary screen use in classrooms and adopt bell-to-bell cell phone free policies.”
Kennedy also called on policymakers to strengthen child safety protections online and support research that looks at the developmental and mental health effects of digital media exposures.
He praised Reynolds for signing Iowa’s MAHA bill, House File 2676, with its screen time restrictions.
The law also tasks the Iowa Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services with studying the impact of “school-provided technology on the cognitive function and academic performance of students” in sixth through 12th grade, according to the bill.
The screen time report is a call to action, Reynolds said.
“(The advisory) gives schools and principals and teachers and parents some guidelines to help provide reasonable and responsible use of cell phones,” she said.
Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: RFK Jr. unveils surgeon general’s advisory on youth screen time
Reporting by Samantha Hernandez, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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