Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) solicits written comments from the public on new objectives to be added to Healthy People 2030 and gather input to refine or expand the existing screen time objectives.
Written comments will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. ET, July 16, 2026.
Since 1980, Healthy People has provided science-based, measurable 10-year objectives to improve the nation’s health and well-being, established national priorities, and monitored progress throughout each subsequent decade. Shaped by input from individuals and organizations across all sectors and all levels of government, Healthy People solicits annual public comment to reflect current public health priorities.
ODPHP seeks written public comments on three new objectives to be added to Healthy People 2030. These new objectives were developed by federal Healthy People topic area workgroup agencies and have been reviewed by the Healthy People 2030 Federal Interagency Workgroup (FIW).
They are:
1.
Access to Health Services (New Objective-10):
Reduce the proportion of persons who are unable to obtain or who delay obtaining mental health care due to cost. Data source: National Health Interview Survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Health Statistics.
2.
Early and Middle Childhood (New Objective-05):
Increase the proportion of children who are developmentally `on track’ and healthy and ready to learn at school. Data source: National Survey of Children’s Health, Health Resources and Services Administration/Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
3.
Social Determinants of Health (New Research Objective-03):
Explore the impact of referrals to non-clinical activities (
e.g.,
art, music, movement, nature, and community service) on improving health outcomes. Data source: No known reliable national data source is currently available.
Note:
Research objectives highlight critical emerging public health issues that lack the research or reliable national data needed to establish 10-year targets.
Recently, HHS released the Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Harms of Screen Use which warns of adverse health outcomes associated with screen time. Concerns at various age groups are discussed, beginning with exposure in young children through teenage years, and highlighting concerns with mental, cognitive, and behavioral health. Given the information cited in the advisory, ODPHP is seeking public comments to refine or expand two existing Healthy People 2030 objectives:
1.
Physical Activity-13:
Increase the proportion of children aged 2 to 5 years who get no more than 1 hour of screen time a day. Data Source: National Survey of Children’s Health, Health Resources and Services Administration.
( printed page 36151)
2.
Physical Activity Research Objective-02:
Increase the proportion of parents who follow American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on limiting screen time for children aged 6 to 17 years. Data Source: No known reliable national data source is currently available.
Written comments should be submitted by email to
HP2030Comment@hhs.gov
by 11:59 p.m. ET July 16, 2026. Comments received in response to this notice will be reviewed by the Healthy People topic area workgroups, Healthy People 2030 (FIW), and other federal subject matter experts. For more information on Healthy People 2030, visit
https://healthypeople.gov/.
For the latest information and guidance from HHS on screen time, please see the Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Harms of Screen Use and toolkit for families, schools, health care providers, researchers, and technology companies, available at:
https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/screen-use-harms/index.html.
Katrina L. Piercy,
Deputy Director, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
