The Government has responded to the report ‘Screen time: impacts
on education and wellbeing', published by the predecessor
Education Committee in May 2024.
Read the press release for the 2024 report here. The full report
is available here; its complete
list of conclusions and recommendations are on pages 47 to 51.
The Government's response (see PDF attached) argues that the
available evidence on whether screen time has a causal link with
harm to children and young people's mental health is “mixed”. The
response refers to a 2019 report by the UK
Chief Medical Officer, and a National Institute for Health and
Care Research study published in
2023. It goes on to say that the Government will develop policy
informed by a further study led by the Department for Science
Innovation and Tech (DSIT).
The report urged the Government to consult on raising what is
known as the ‘digital age of consent'. Currently set at age 13 –
lower than that of other countries – it determines the age at
which companies can receive children's data without parental
permission. The response says: “We will give further
consideration to the committee's recommendation for a
consultation.”
Another major recommendation of the report was for the Government
to produce statutory guidance over the use of smart phones in
schools. The Government argues this would be unnecessary as the
vast majority of schools already have such policies in place.
However, the previous inquiry heard from school leaders that
having legally backed guidance in place would assist them in
engaging with parents who challenge phone bans that are currently
self-imposed by schools.
The Government's response says it “notes” the recommendation that
it should produce advice for parents of babies, that they should
give sufficient attention to face-to-face interaction – a key
element of linguistic and social development – and warns of the
risks of screen time in reducing opportunities for this.
The response rejects the previous Committee's recommendation that
government departments, including Education, Health and Social
Care, the Home Office and DSIT, should produce guidance for
parents on how to best manage and understand the impact of screen
time on their children. The Committee said this guidance should
discourage children's use of phones before bedtime and advise on
how to use parental controls on children's devices. The response
restates the view that there is insufficient evidence of
causality between screen time and harm.
Education Committee Chair MP said:
“The sheer weight of evidence heard during the previous
Education Committee's inquiry was damning. Its cross-party
members were unequivocal in their concern for the effects that
over-exposure to screens and to social media – with the abundance
of unchecked harmful, disturbing content that inhabits some
platforms – can both have on children's
wellbeing.
“By contrast this response from the Government is
disappointing in its lack of urgency to tackle an issue that is
almost universally understood to be a defining issue of our time
by parents, carers and people from across the education and care
sectors.
“Like our predecessor Committee, we believe the Government
should act on the mass of strong correlatory evidence between
screen time and harm. Further delay will be to the continued
detriment of children's mental health, development and
education.
“Whilst the Online Safety Act is a very welcome step, and we
wish Ofcom and the Government well in implementing its
provisions, few believe it will be enough. Where the response is
particularly weak is on raising and enforcing the digital age of
consent. We urge the Government to learn from other countries and
consult on strengthening this regulation as soon as
possible.
“The argument that most schools already ban phones misses the
point that school staff would have a backstop, an added line of
defence, if the law was on their side when facing challenge from
parents or students.”
