Nearly quarter of children spend more than four hours a day on devices – poll

Nearly a quarter of children spend more than four hours a day on an internet-enabled device, a survey for the Children’s Commissioner has suggested.

Dame Rachel de Souza has called for “stronger action” to protect children from harmful content online beyond the classroom – including a possible social media ban for children under 16, or restricting smartphone use for all children.

Parents need support in managing their children’s online activities and setting “appropriate boundaries” as part of a “whole-society approach” to keeping young people safe, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said.

A YouGov poll, of 502 children in England aged eight to 15, found that 23% spend more than four hours a day using an internet-enabled device with a screen – such as a computer, phone, tablet or gaming console.

One in four (25%) spend two to three hours a day on such a device, while a fifth (20%) spend three to four hours a day, according to the survey which was carried out in March and April.

Schools in England were given non-statutory Government guidance in February last year intended to stop the use of phones during the school day.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said it was his “personal view” that the Labour Government should take a stronger stance through a “statutory ban” on mobile phones in schools.

A separate survey by the Commissioner, of more than 15,000 state schools in England, suggests that the majority of schools are implementing phone policies suggested by the Department for Education (DfE).

The research found that 90% of secondary schools surveyed – and 99.8% of primary schools surveyed – already have policies in place that restrict pupils’ use of mobile phones during the school day.

This included policies banning phones on school grounds, requiring children to hand in phones or leave them in a secure place that they cannot access in the day, or requiring them to be kept out of sight.

The survey suggested that 5.8% of secondary schools had a policy that allowed pupils to use their phones when a teacher said they can during lessons, and 3.9% had a policy which either allowed pupils to use their phones at break or lunch, or allowed pupils to use their phones at any time in school.

Nearly four in five secondary schools (79%) allowed pupils to bring their mobile phones to school but with the expectation that the phone must be kept out of sight and that pupils were not allowed to use it, according to the poll which was conducted between September and January.

A further 7.9% of secondary schools said they required pupils to hand in their phone or leave it in a secure place that they could not access during the school day, while 3.5% of secondary schools said pupils were not allowed to bring their mobile phones onto school grounds.

Around 55% of schools surveyed by the Commissioner said they were concerned about online safety, which was the second largest cited concern behind mental health services.

Dame Rachel said: “Any headteacher who decides to ban mobile phones from their school has my full backing – but it should always be their choice, based on their knowledge of what’s best for the children in their own classrooms, not a direction imposed nationally by the government.”

She added: “The quarter of children I polled who spend more than four hours on their devices per day aren’t doing that while at school.

“This is a generation that has grown up online, not only seeing and using smartphones and 24-hour communication but seeing all the adults in their lives relying on them.

“If we are serious about helping children reap the many benefits of the internet, we need to get serious about regulating what they can see, where they see it and curbing the damage currently being wreaked on their health, attention span and safety by tech companies enjoying unlimited freedoms while refusing to take responsibility for the people on their platforms.

“Schools are just one part of the solution. Parents and carers need support to become more confident managing their children’s online activities and putting in age-appropriate boundaries – and above all, to talk and keep talking at home about what they see and how to respond.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Phones have no place in our classrooms – which is why our clear guidance sets out that school leaders should be restricting their use, and further evidence from the Children’s Commissioner today shows that the majority already do.

“Parts of the Online Safety Act are now in force meaning platforms have to tackle illegal material. From summer, they will also have to prevent children from seeing wider dangerous content including abusive misogyny and violence.

“On top of this, our review of the relationships, sex and health curriculum will ensure young people learn about healthy relationships, boundaries and consent from primary school.”