Our children, their screens, the evidence : A call to action
This film, made in collaboration with Teched Off, highlights some of the serious harms that clinicians are observing in their daily practice, and academics are concluding in their research, around children’s screen use. These negative impacts on whole-child health are now very significant. It is evidence of safety that we lack, not evidence of harms, and it is now imperative we exercise the precautionary principle and launch an NHS public health campaign to educate and support parents and engage professional colleagues. This film is also an urgent call for a change in legislation to protect our children.
Tell your MP, the Prime Minister and the cabinet that our children deserve better:
Dear [Find your MP],
keir.starmer.mp@parliament.uk; wes.streeting.mp@parliament.uk; bridget.phillipson.mp@parliament.uk; peter.kyle.mp@parliament.uk
Cc: hello@healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens and info@teched-off.com
I am writing to draw your attention to the Public Health Emergency that screen usage is causing our children and young people.
The film Our Kids, Their Screens, The Evidence shows that screens impact the whole child’s health, including addictive behaviour, anxiety, problems with sleep, cognitive impairment, speech and language delays, as well as a marked rise in myopia and ADHD-like symptoms.
The health professionals in the film lay out the myriad harms that they see our children suffering, which are caused by screens and social media. This is before we get to the increase in extremism, access to pornography and the dramatic increase in child-generated, child sexual abuse material.
The evidence, both in academic literature and in clinical practice, is overwhelming, and the time to act is now.
The Online Safety Act, even if it were to work as intended, does not cover the breadth of the harms and cannot protect our children.
We are demanding
- A public health campaign about the risks of screen usage – beyond content – for children
- Legislation to address the harms of screens, including raising the age of smartphones and social media to 16
- Public health policy to include assessment of screen usage in patients, with relevant training for health professionals
I look forward to hearing from you,
Best wishes,
Include your name and address so they know you are a constituent
