Please find below my monthly piece for the Malton Gazette on the dangers of smartphones:
Almost half of British teenagers feel that they’re addicted to social media, according to a recent study. Some children, even those at primary school, are spending up to 8 hours each day on the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, apps designed to keep kids locked on. Research shows excessive screen time can lead to sleep shortages, behavioural issues, bullying and mental health problems, causing unsustainable demands on children’s mental health services.
Smartphones can also diminish critical thinking, creativity and the ability to form meaningful relationships. I believe we need a combined effort from the government, parents, and schools to address this issue. Our young people need to grow up in real communities, not virtual ones.
Local schools in North Yorkshire are on the front lines of this struggle and doing great work. One primary school head in Thirsk and Malton acknowledged the safety benefits of phones for kids travelling to and from school but enforces the handing in of phones at the start of the day, which has reduced the number of issues in school time. However, they expressed deep concern about out-of-hours problems like sexting, bullying, and addiction, stating “it is a constant challenge to work together with parents in order to keep their children safe”.
Another school in Thirsk and Malton offered similar observations that while having a gate-to-gate policy with regard to mobile phones their primary concern is around out of school hours. This school highlighted the fact there is “no hiding place for a young person anymore, whilst we try to support all our young people… it requires some carefully managed governmental intervention into the market to protect children – rather like the laws put in place by Disraeli to protect child workers in Victorian factories, we now need someone to prioritise the welfare of our children in the face of this new challenge”.
Rachel Wells, Headteacher of West Heslerton CE Primary said they have a robust system of technology use while in school for strictly educational purposes “monitored via technology so that anything typed is saved, traced to individual users, flagged to staff if needed and can be addressed immediately”. Rachel concludes that this system combined with a strong relationship with parents ensures a positive environment for children to engage with technology.
This ties in with the wider conversations I’ve had with schools - positive interventions made in school and by Government can, and is, mitigating the impacts of phones within the school gates, something that the Government recognises. We must start a serious debate about the place of smartphones in our children's lives, but schools are a first step.
Creating a safer digital landscape is complex. As your MP, I'm committed to policies supporting this cause and working with schools and families in Thirsk and Malton - I’m pleased to be hosting a debate later this year with a local school on this very issue. Together, we can ensure a healthier, more balanced digital environment where our children can thrive and learn in time-honoured ways. If not, there’s always a Nokia 6210.
