As a parent, like many of you, I worried about whether my children will grow up healthy, make friends at school, and feel safe both online and offline. Like you, I want all children to have a fulfilling childhood, learning the skills they’ll need for the future while staying protected in the digital world. Therein lies the conundrum. I am a single parent and these are difficulties for us all, whatever our situation, as young people see phones as a positive and a rite of passage.
I am aware that the UK chief medical officer, among others, has reviewed the scientific evidence and concluded that an association between screen-based activities and poor mental health exists, but existing research does not yet prove a causal relationship. However, this does not mean we should rule out taking a precautionary approach, whilst considering all the impacts.
In fact, I do think the decision on whether a child should have access to a smartphone should not be made by the Government. Instead, we should work widely and together to empower parents to make the right call for their children and their individual circumstances. It is my belief that choice is a liberty that parents and children should be allowed to exercise. We should be talking to our youngsters while protecting them from inappropriate viewing, online bullying and other harmful activities with age-appropriate controls, restrictions on screen time and much more. I am not certain we can fully turn back the clock.
I agree that online platforms must roundly take responsibility for the harmful effects of the design of their services and their business models. That is why the previous Government introduced the Online Safety Act, which puts the onus on platforms to ensure that children are protected. This includes removing and limiting the spread of illegal content and taking steps to prevent similar material from appearing. In addition, user-to-user and search service providers must also provide age-appropriate protections to children from 'priority' content that is harmful to children, such as bullying and content that depicts or encourages serious violence.
I know that mobile phones can be a huge distraction to learning for pupils and, if unregulated in classroom settings, lead to a significant loss of learning time. That is why I urge the current Government to continue to strengthen the Department for Education's action on classroom mobile phone usage making clear that use should be prohibited throughout the school day. Headteachers must be provided with advice and support on how to successfully prohibit mobile phone use, including at break times, to tackle disruptive behaviour and online bullying whilst boosting attention during lessons.
Josh MacAlister OBE MP says his Bill aims to make smartphones less addictive for children and empower families and teachers to cut down on children’s daily smartphone screen time. Whilst I agree with the sentiment of the Honourable Member's Private Members' Bill, I will need to review its details when it is published before deciding whether to lend my support.
