More than 150 UK clinicians have urged Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper to cut screen time in classrooms, warning that unmonitored use of tablets and laptops causes short-sightedness and speech delays in children. With nearly one million pupils using devices in most lessons, doctors highlight that educational technology lacks health safety checks and call for strict limits. The Department for Education stated it is consulting on new screen-time guidance.
Clinician letter to ministers
- ▪Signatories of the open letter to UK ministers include GPs, paediatricians, audiologists, speech therapists, and Health Professionals for Safer Screens founder Dr. Becky Foljambe.
- ▪An analysis cited in the clinicians' open letter indicates nearly one million children in England use screens in most school lessons, while 2.6 million use devices daily.
- ▪More than 150 UK clinicians sent an open letter to Education Secretary Lucy Powell and Health Secretary Yvette Cooper warning that classroom screen time harms children's physical and developmental health.
Physical health impacts
- ▪The clinicians' open letter warned that many UK children spend longer on classroom screens than recommended for an entire 24-hour period.
- ▪UK clinicians stated in their open letter that they are prescribing glasses, hearing aids, and speech therapy for child health problems unintentionally worsened in schools.
- ▪An analysis of 276 studies involving 5.4 million global participants found short-sightedness among children and adolescents rose from around 24% in 1990 to almost 36% by 2023.
Developmental health impacts
- ▪In their open letter, clinicians stated that children's language acquisition depends on face-to-face interaction that digital screens cannot replicate.
- ▪UK clinicians warned in their open letter that children with special educational needs are disproportionately directed toward screen-based learning in schools.
- ▪Health Professionals for Safer Screens founder Dr. Becky Foljambe stated that preventing parents from opting out of school screen use risks children not thriving in education.
EdTech safety testing gaps
- ▪UK clinicians stated that school digital devices and platforms have never undergone systematic, child-focused testing for cumulative impacts on children's eyes, ears, or speech.
- ▪The clinicians' letter warned that education technology devices used in schools face no health safety checks equivalent to those required for drugs, food products, or toys.
Pandemic EdTech expansion
- ▪Clinicians stated in their letter that classroom use of tablets, laptops, and interactive whiteboards expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and was never rolled back.
- ▪SafeScreens campaign representative Jane Rowland stated that using unmonitored education technology devices in schools every day gambles with the health and safety of millions of children.
Government response consultation
- ▪A Department for Education spokesperson stated the UK government is developing screen-time guidance for children aged five to 18 and consulting on artificial intelligence and edtech safety.
- ▪A legal mobile phone ban in English schools took effect in June 2026, though devices used specifically for educational purposes remain excluded from the restrictions.
- ▪Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di'Iasio stated education technology should form only part of learning strategies alongside classroom discussion, PE, and break times.
Debatable claims
- ▪Classroom screen use does more harm than good to children's health
- ▪The UK government should mandate safety checks on edtech products before classroom deployment
- ▪UK schools bear primary responsibility for worsening children's preventable sight and speech issues
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