A coalition of more than 150 medical professionals, including GPs, paediatricians, and other health specialists, has issued a public appeal to government officials expressing concern about the amount of screen time children experience during the school day in England. The clinicians raised alarms about the potential long-term health consequences of tablet and laptop use in educational settings, noting that the full implications of such exposure remain inadequately understood.
The medical professionals highlighted that approximately one million children are using screens during most classroom lessons. They cited analysis of 276 studies encompassing 5.4 million participants worldwide, which they said demonstrated a rise in myopia among children and adolescents from roughly 24% in 1990 to nearly 36% by 2023. According to the clinicians, this condition carries an elevated risk of various eye health complications. They also noted that many students now spend longer periods on screens during school than health recommendations suggest for a full day.
Dr Becky Foljambe, an NHS general practitioner and founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens, emphasized that parents have not been provided with options to decline excessive screen use in schools. She argued that the dramatic increase in short-sightedness cannot be attributed to genetic factors alone and rejected arguments that screen exposure is necessary to prepare students for a digital future, stating that children require sleep, eyesight preservation, rest, and critical thinking capacity.
Education sector representatives offered a more measured perspective, indicating that technology serves as an effective learning instrument when deployed as part of a comprehensive educational approach that incorporates classroom interaction and non-screen activities such as physical education and break time. School leaders called for evidence-based guidance from the government to inform technology use in educational environments.
The Department for Education stated it is developing new screen-time guidance for children aged 5 to 18 and will consult on artificial intelligence and educational technology safety in schools. Officials maintained that technology, when used appropriately, can support learners effectively. This discussion follows the implementation of a smartphone ban in English schools earlier this year.
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