Urgent warning over children ‘doom scrolling’ for hours a day

An MP has warned that children “doom scrolling” for hours a day on smartphones are at risk of widespread harm, in what has been described as a public health emergency.

The equivalent of “seatbelt” legislation is needed for children and their social media use to help them manage addictive content, according to former teacher Josh MacAlister.

On Wednesday, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington will introduce a Private Member’s Bill (PMB) in Parliament on protecting children from harms caused by excessive screen time

The Bill, which aims to empower families and teachers to cut down on children’s daily smartphone screen time, will call for a legal requirement to be introduced so all schools in England are mobile-free zones.

Pepe Di’lasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Smartphones and the instant access they provide to harmful content is nothing short of a public health emergency for children and young people.”

He added: “It is not enough to rely solely on parents and schools teaching children about the dangers of smartphones. We have reached a point where regulation is required over their sale and the conduct of online platforms.”

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In February, schools in England were given guidance under the former Conservative government intended to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day, but it is currently non-statutory.

The Bill is also expected to call for the age at which companies can get data consent from children without parental permission to be raised from 13 to 16 to make smartphones less addictive.

Other proposals include strengthening watchdog Ofcom’s powers to protect children from apps that are designed to be addictive, and committing the Government to review further regulation if needed of the design, supply, marketing and use of mobile phones by children under the age of 16.

Mr MacAlister, who led an independent review into children’s social care for the former government, said: “The evidence is mounting that children doom scrolling for hours a day is causing widespread harm. We need the equivalent of the ‘seatbelt’ legislation for social media use for children.

“Adults find it hard enough to manage screen time, so why are we expecting children to manage this addictive content without some shared rules? Parents are in an impossible bind over whether to ostracise their child from social media or expose them to the harms and addiction of content.

“Countries around the world are now taking bold action and our children risk being left behind. It’s time to have the national debate here in the UK.”

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MPs are expected to debate the issue in the new year, Mr MacAlister’s office said.

Conservative MP Kit Malthouse, who was education secretary during Liz Truss’s premiership in 2022, said: “The growing evidence of the impact of smartphones on kids is deeply alarming.

“So being clear about our expectations from providers and regulators, and their duties towards our children, has to be a step in the right direction, and I’m pleased to support a Bill that does exactly that.”

Joe Ryrie, co-founder of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign group, said: “Parents everywhere are crying out for Government to go further and faster in regulating big tech so that they alone are not responsible for guarding childhood from the addictive and predatory algorithms for which they are no match.

“We need to start thinking about children’s digital safety in a more imaginative way, going beyond just the harms, so that we can build upon the Online Safety Act and start developing a new regulatory approach that has young people’s wellbeing and healthy development at its heart.”