Doctors Warn of 'Crisis' in Children's Health Due to School Screen Time

More than 150 clinicians, including GPs, pediatricians, audiologists, and speech therapists, have warned that extensive screen time in schools is contributing to a "crisis" in children's health, particularly impacting speech and language development and eyesight.

In a letter addressed to ministers, the professionals stated that children are experiencing these issues earlier and with greater severity than in previous years. They highlighted an increase in children with poor eyesight, which they linked to screen time exposure, and urged the government to be "alert" to the "impact of the sustained rise in screen-based learning" on children's physical and developmental health.

The letter noted that the use of tablets, laptops, and interactive whiteboards significantly increased during the pandemic and has not been reduced. The signatories expressed concern that a generation is being educated on devices that have not undergone systematic, child-focused testing for their cumulative effects on eyes, ears, or speech. They stated, "we are the clinicians who will spend the rest of our careers treating the consequences."

Approximately £900 million is spent annually on educational technology (EdTech) in English schools, yet there are no official checks on how these products affect children's physical health, according to the clinicians. Nearly one million children reportedly use devices for learning in every lesson, with an additional 2.6 million pupils using screens daily as part of the curriculum.

"No drug, food product, or toy is given to millions of children without a single safety check," the letter asserts. "Yet, astonishingly, education technology devices and platforms currently used by millions of pupils in schools and for homework every day of the week face no equivalent child-focused health scrutiny."

The clinicians are particularly concerned about the widespread use of one-to-one devices in early years education. They argued that language acquisition relies on rich, face-to-face interaction that screens cannot replicate. "A three-year-old spending three hours a day on screen misses an estimated 194 conversational turns and 1,139 adult words daily. These are losses that compound into hundreds of thousands over a year," the letter stated.

The letter calls for government "health checks" on educational products and new guidelines for safe daily screen exposure in schools. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott echoed these concerns, stating that the current approach repeats mistakes made with social media and phones, and that other countries are now reversing their decisions on extensive screen use in schools.

Jane Rowland from the campaign group SafeScreens criticized the lack of safety checks for educational technology, comparing it to other products given to children. Dr. Becky Foljambe, a GP and founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens, added that clinics are treating problems exacerbated by schools.

A government spokesman acknowledged that technology can be a valuable tool for learners and teachers but stated that evidence-gathering is crucial. The government is committed to working with educators and parents to ensure technology is used effectively as evidence evolves.