OVER 150 CLINICIANS WARN OF SCREEN TIME CRISIS IN SCHOOLS

More than 150 clinicians have signed an open letter warning of a "crisis" in children's physical and developmental health linked to screen-based learning in English schools. The letter, addressed to Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, calls on ministers to address the issue. Signatories include GPs, ophthalmologists, audiologists, paediatricians and speech and language therapists. They describe the absence of child-focused health scrutiny of school technology, referred to as "EdTech", as a serious safeguarding concern for both departments. The clinicians say no drug, food product or toy is given to millions of children without a safety check, while EdTech devices and platforms used by millions of pupils face no equivalent scrutiny.

The letter states that around £900 million a year is spent on EdTech in English schools, but no product must demonstrate it is safe for children's physical health before a school buys it. Analysis cited by the signatories suggests almost one million children spend nearly every lesson on screens, with many spending longer on screens in the classroom than they are recommended to spend in a day. The clinicians point to a rise in short-sightedness among UK children, saying the proportion has more than doubled since the 1960s. Their letter says a three-year-old spending three hours a day on screens misses an estimated 194 conversational turns and 1,139 adult words daily. More than two million UK children are struggling with speech and language, the clinicians say, and around a third start school not ready to learn.

Particular concern is raised for children with special educational needs and disabilities, who the clinicians say are often "disproportionately steered towards" screen-based learning at the point when they most need close adult supervision. The letter was organised by the campaign group Health Professionals for Safer Screens, whose representative Becky Foljambe also commented on the findings. The signatories call for child-focused health scrutiny to be applied to EdTech products before they are used in schools. They describe the current lack of oversight as a safeguarding concern affecting both the education and health departments. The letter urges Powell and Cooper to act on the concerns it raises.