MORE POWERFUL TOGETHER

As health professionals, we see first-hand the impacts of children’s addictive screen use and access to harmful content online. Join us in our call to instigate real and urgent change.

NEW FREE LEARNING SERIES :
  Screens, their content and their effect on children

Our lecture series provides clear, clinically grounded teaching—developed and delivered by doctors—to support professionals in understanding and responding to the health and developmental impacts of children’s screen use, smartphones and social media.

Each session offers practical, research‑informed guidance that can be applied immediately in clinical settings and in conversations with families. For those seeking authoritative insight, current evidence and confident, actionable advice, these lectures offer a reliable and essential foundation.

Click Here for the HPFSS Learning Series

The key issues

As clinicians, we witness these harmful effects daily in our clinics, and academics are now establishing causal connections. Smartphones, screens and social media usage impact every part of our children’s lives from their early cognitive development through to their physical development – obesity, eyesight, eating disorders to their social development, mental health and academic attainment. 

This is a disaster for our children and for our society. Find out more below:

52%

52% of the young people that spend most of their free time on their smartphone, wish they could spend less time on their phone

2 Million

2 million children with speech and language challenges in the UK – an increase of 27% in the past 2 years

47%

Nearly half (47%) of parents say they have had a disagreement with their child over screen time in the last few weeks

OUR LATEST RESOURCES

all resources
Briefing Documents
May 26, 2026

Growing up in the online world: a national consultation

This is being submitted to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as part of its UK-wide consultation Growing up in the online world.

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Early Years, Leaflets - Health, Screen time tips
May 19, 2026

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH SEN

Assistive technology (AT) for children with special educational needs is often misunderstood. It isn’t about giving children gadgets; it’s about providing tools that help them access learning in ways that support their development without replacing essential real‑world experiences. Misconceptions around screens, emotional regulation, and now AI can lead to inappropriate use that affects long‑term learning…

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Early Years, Leaflets - Health, Screen time tips
February 20, 2026

CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) AND SCREEN USE – A Guide

This guide support parents of primary aged children with SEN. It has been written by Education Psychologists, Dr Emily Barrett and Dr Rachel Reid, to advise parents on how best to use screens and to bust some of the myths out there.

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