Blog
Smartphones in Schools: Educational Psychologist Dr Emily Barrett’s Speech to a Parliamentary Roundtable – Wednesday 11 March 2026
Educational psychologist Dr Emily Barrett explains why smartphones in schools affect cognitive development and emotional resilience in a speech to Parliament.
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Reclaiming Childhood in the Digital Age: Why a Public Health Approach to Social Media Matters
A new report from the Centre for Young Lives has issued a clear warning to policymakers: the debate about protecting children online risks becoming stuck in the wrong argument. With MPs considering whether access to harmful social media platforms should be restricted to over 16s, the report argues that the national conversation has been framed…
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School readiness is slipping, and teachers say screens are the biggest factor
The latest Kindred Squared School Readiness Report presents a sobering picture of children starting Reception in September 2025, with teachers reporting that 37% are not developmentally ready. Many are struggling with basic language, emotional regulation, independence and everyday life skills.
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Grok – An overview
HPFSS member Natasha Puttick Ba (Oxon) and a 3rd year MBBS student at Bart’s and the London looks at what happened with Grok AI
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Australia’s social media ban: The key facts and results so far:
Australia’s social media ban: The key facts and results so far: HPFSS member Natasha Puttick Ba (Oxon) and a 3rd year MBBS student at Bart’s and the London looks at Australia's social media ban
View ArticleKooth – Online counselling – should we be concerned?
Dr Helen Thomas writes that last month saw concerns raised about the use of Kooth by parents. The concerns were about the security of the online counselling site and the use of Kooth in PHSE lessons at some schools. The issues around the security were that anyone was able to log on. "Anyone" could make a…
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Digital Detox Family Resource
Dr Helen Thomas, GP The resources we create at Health Professionals for Safer Screens are driven by both our members' requests and by the patients and families we support. We have had fantastic new resources developed to help families and our young people understand why we are concerned about screentime, but this is most often followed by…
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Roundtable with Education Minister Olivia Bailey
Yesterday, Health Professionals for Safer Screens joined Minister Olivia Bailey at the Department for Education for an important roundtable on phone-free schools.
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The Health Professionals Championing Whole Child Health!
Health Professionals for Safer Screens (HPFSS) is the home of health professionals who recognise the impact of screens on childhood. In this article, we report on two of the latest media appearances by our members who, yet again, are bringing not only academic evidence but our frontline professional experience into the mainstream media. Dr Helen…
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