SIR KEIR STARMER has promised a fight with social media firms over efforts to keep children away from mobile phone and tablet screens.

The government has issued guidance advising parents of two to five-year-olds to limit screen time to an hour a day, and avoid it altogether for children under two unless for shared activities.

It is also currently consulting on how to protect children under the age of 16 online, which could include an Australia-style social media ban or measures like time limits and curfews.

The Prime Minister said: “If we’re going to do more to protect children, we’re going to have to fight some of the platforms that are putting the material up there because they’re putting this addictive stuff up there for a reason.”

The guidance also advises avoiding fast-paced social media-style videos and keeping bedtimes screen-free.

Children’s health expert Professor Russell Viner, who helped develop the guidance, said long periods of screen time “crowd out” important things like sleep and physical activity, and impact language development.

About 98 per cent of children are watching screens on a daily basis by the age of two, the government said.