Cut screen time in classrooms to avoid long-term health issues, government urged
By Ottilie Mitchell and Adam Goldsmith, BBC News
The amount of time children in England spend on screens at school could be harming their "physical and developmental health", a group of more than 150 clinicians has warned.
GPs, paediatricians and other specialists said in an open letter to Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper that tablets and laptops are being used without a full understanding of their long-term health impacts, including on eye health.
The clinicians stated they are prescribing glasses, hearing aids, and speech therapy to children "for a problem that is unintentionally being made worse in our schools".
The government responded by stating it is consulting on screen time guidance for children aged five to 18, but emphasized that technology can be a powerful learning tool if used properly.
According to the clinicians, nearly one million children are using screens in most lessons, despite studies suggesting a rise in short-sightedness. They referenced an analysis of 276 studies covering 5.4 million participants worldwide, which found a rise in short-sightedness among children and adolescents from approximately 24% in 1990 to almost 36% by 2023. They warned that this condition is associated with an increased risk of various eye health problems.
The letter highlighted that many children now spend longer on screens in the classroom than is recommended in a 24-hour period, adding: "As a country, we need to wake up to this now, and start rolling back screen use in schools before the damage compounds further."
Dr. Becky Foljambe, an NHS GP and founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens, agreed, stating that parents have not been given the chance to "opt out" of the "excessive" use of screens in schools, which risks children "just not thriving" in education. She noted that an "explosion" in short-sightedness "cannot be put down to genetics alone".
The letter also warned that children with special educational needs are "disproportionately" directed to screen-based learning.
A Department for Education spokesperson countered by stating that the government is developing new screen-time guidance for children aged five to 18 and will consult on the safety of artificial intelligence and educational technology in schools. They concluded, "Used well, technology can be a powerful tool to support learners who need it and free up teachers to deliver the excellent education every child deserves."