Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the educational and health implications of the use of generative AI tools by pupils in schools in England, and what guidance they have issued on the use of such tools by school children.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises both the opportunities and risks presented by generative artificial intelligence in education. Evidence on the direct educational and health implications of pupils using generative AI is still emerging, and we continue to work with the education sector, experts and other government departments to build our understanding of safe and effective use. The department has set out its position on generative AI in education, which states that we see fewer risks from staff use of generative AI, as well as the need for schools to protect pupil and staff data, manage safeguarding and online safety risks, and ensure that AI use supports, rather than replaces, professional judgement. We have also published free support materials for schools and colleges to help staff and leaders use AI safely and effectively.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of screen-based learning on the concentration, handwriting, and reading comprehension of school children in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department has not carried out a unique assessment of the effect of screen-based learning on the concentration, handwriting, and reading comprehension of school children in England.
The department expects schools to use screen-based learning only where it supports effective teaching and improves pupils’ learning. Schools are responsible for deciding when technology is appropriate, based on pupils’ age, curriculum needs and the evidence about what works.
To support schools with choosing technology, the department is investing £24 million in the EdTech Testbeds programme to help generate evidence of the impact of technology on pupil outcomes, inclusion and teacher workload.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have issued or plan to issue guidance to schools in England on daily limits for pupils' screen time.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are currently reviewing the evidence base, including responses to the recent call for evidence on screen use, and this will inform our next steps in supporting schools and ensuring technology is used safely and effectively.
The government is also developing practical, evidence-based guidance on healthy screen use for parents of children aged 5 to 18. This will help parents and carers recognise that technology can bring benefits when used well, including for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recently published data indicating that more than 950,000 school children in the UK are using personal screen-based devices for nearly every lesson in the school day.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises that we must get the balance right when it comes to technology use for teaching and learning. The department’s expert advisory group on screen time is assessing a range of evidence and responses to the department’s call for evidence, which will inform guidance and policy on the use of technology in schools.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what data they collect on the extent to which pupils at schools in England are using a personal screen-based device during lessons or for homework activities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department collects a wide range of information on technology use in schools through the biennial Technology in Schools Survey, which provides information on the availability and use of devices by pupils in primary and secondary schools. This does not include specific information about use of devices during lessons or for homework activities.
The government recognises that we must get the balance right when it comes to technology use. The department’s expert advisory group on screen time is assessing a range of evidence and responses to the department’s call for evidence, which will inform guidance and policy on the use of technology in schools.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they consult health professionals on the health implications for pupils of the use of screen-based devices and educational technology applications in schools in England; and which committees, working groups or advisory bodies they maintain for that purpose.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, including on regular policy and evidence exchanges on the implications of screen-based devices and education technology for pupils. This includes drawing on medical and child development expertise, and wider evidence on children’s health, wellbeing and learning.
The department established expert arrangements to inform its work on screen use, including an expert group co-chaired by the Children’s Commissioner for England and Professor Russell Viner to support evidence-based guidance for children and families.
The department has also launched a Call for Evidence on screen use for children aged 5 to 18 and exploring how to support schools and families to make informed, evidence-based decisions about technology use.
Schools are expected to use technology in a safe, proportionate and purposeful way, alongside statutory safeguarding duties, filtering and monitoring requirements, and statutory guidance that schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what independent evaluation they have commissioned into the educational effectiveness of (1) one-to-one screen-based devices, and (2) educational technology applications, currently used in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department supports schools to make evidence-informed decisions about technology and trends in technology use in schools and colleges through the Technology in Schools Survey.
To consider the effectiveness of these technologies the department has a series of programmes underway, including the £24 million EdTech Testbed programme, which will generate stronger evidence on the impact of educational technology in real-world school and college settings. A pilot EdTech Evidence Board has also been established and uses independent expert panels to review evidence of the quality and impact of EdTech tools. Finally, artificial intelligence benchmarks are being developed as an independent way to assess the effective development of generative AI tools for education.
The department also works with the Education Endowment Foundation to support independent evaluations of EdTech use. Decisions about one-to-one devices and specific applications remain for schools and trusts, based on their pupils’ needs, infrastructure and teaching priorities.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they have sought from the Chief Medical Officer on the use of screen-based devices by children in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has launched work to develop practical, evidence-based guidance on screen use for parents of young people aged 5 to 18, to be published this autumn.
The guidance will cover screen use across different aspects of young people's lives, including at home and in schools. It is being informed by a recent Call for Evidence and an independent expert group chaired by Professor Russell Viner and Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner. The expert group’s membership includes a broad range of academics and sector expertise, including Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they hold on the impact of the use of one-to-one screen-based devices and educational technology applications on educational attainment in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department recognises the growing use of education technology in schools and the importance of understanding its impact on pupil outcomes. Through the Technology in Schools Survey, we track the types of devices made available to pupils and the extent to which these are used in lessons. The department is currently launching programmes such as the National EdTech Testbed programme to build the evidence base on the impact of technology. We announced in January 2026 that the Testbed Programme has expanded, and we have now partnered with the Education Endowment Foundation to deliver the £24 million multi-year programme which will build an evidence pipeline, evaluating the impact of education technology and artificial intelligence in schools and colleges, and how it can be used effectively to support teachers, improve inclusion and strengthen educational outcomes. The department will continue to support schools to make evidence-informed decisions about the use of technology.
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess the educational efficacy of educational technology products before recommending or encouraging their use in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All schools and multi-academy trusts are responsible for selecting technology that meets their own educational needs, context and supports them in meeting statutory responsibilities.
Those choices should be informed, evidence-based decisions. To support schools, our EdTech Evidence Board programme set out a framework of advice and questions schools can ask EdTech suppliers to support evidence-based decisions. We are also in the process of setting up EdTech Testbed Programme to assess and generate evidence on the effectiveness and impact of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), in real education settings. Lastly, we are developing AI benchmarks as a way to test the effective product development of AI tools.
The department does not currently recommend, endorse or encourage any specific educational technology products for use in schools.