Sign our letter

Dear Secretary of State,  

I write to you on behalf of a group of health professionals in the UK, including Consultant Paediatricians, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, GPs, Public Health Consultants, Clinical Psychologists, and Speech and Language Therapists (list not exhaustive).  

In our day-to-day practice, we are witnessing first-hand, the exponential rise in mental and physical illness, developmental delays, child exploitation, criminal and violent behaviour, and death by suicide in our young population. Between 2012 and 2022, annual hospital admissions for child mental health increased by over 65%, 514.,6% for eating disorders alone. Over 500 children per day in England are referred to mental health services for anxiety.  

We, as health professionals, along with an ever-growing body of scientific research, are clear that these harms are directly related to the use of smartphones and social media. 

As a result of excess and unregulated screen use, we are seeing problems with sleep, eyesight, cardiovascular health, speech and language development, emotional and social growth, eating habits, self-esteem, educational achievement and cognitive performance. Despite the government’s bid to fund mental health services, the NHS and the education sector; whilst our children continue to be constrained by the harms of excess screen use , things will only get worse. We cannot rely on individual families, headteachers, and most certainly not young people themselves to regulate their own smartphone use. These devices are designed to be addictive, and children’s brains are particularly vulnerable.  

According to the Children’s Commissioners survey, only 11.4% of schools enforce that phones are not accessible nor allowed. We are asking the government to implement a statutory ban, where students cannot keep them in their possession during the school day. A study involving 150,000 students across 16 countries found that the mere presence of a phone during lessons significantly reduces academic performance. PISA data confirmed a global decline in reading, maths and science scores in correlation with increased screen exposure and digital distractions. Not only are we seeing a reduction in academic achievement and cognitive capabilities, England now ranks among the bottom 10 countries (of 31 assessed) in socio-emotional skills. These include curiosity, perseverance, emotional control, stress resistance, empathy and cooperation. These skills are key indicators of future success.  

It is imperative that smartphones are banned from schools, where education, wellbeing and emotional development are of utmost importance. The mere presence of these devices impedes on children’s safety, security, and freedom to separate from the constant constraints of the online world, even if just for 8hrs a day. Children are at risk of being filmed, ridiculed, exploited and inappropriately exposed to extremist or graphic content. Let children be children and allow teachers to teach. How can children be expected to focus on schoolwork with the constant lure of the internet and social media within reach?  

Whilst we recognise this would only be part of the solution, it would allow children much-needed respite from their phones, allowing them to focus on education and real-life social interaction. In schools where a ban is properly implemented, they have seen improvements in pupil behaviour, engagement and academic performance, along with a reduction in safeguarding incidents and truancy. Teacher retention rates have also increased. Everyone benefits. 

As increasing evidence emerges and from our collective professional experience, the longer nothing is done, the more harm will be inflicted on our children. Of this, we are certain.