Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of screen time on children's development.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

On 27 March, the government published advice on screen use for children aged 0-5 on the Best Start in Life website, accessible at: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s/.

The advice is informed by an expert panel’s independent report, which draws on quantitative and qualitative research, including engagement with parents, carers and stakeholders. This report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screen-use-by-children-aged-under-5.

The independent panel was co-chaired by Professor Russell Viner, and Dame Rachel de Souza.

On 2 March, alongside the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the department launched the Children’s Digital Wellbeing consultation on further measures to ensure children have healthy relationships with technology, mobile phones and social media. The consultation will close on 26 May, with the government set to publish its response in the summer.

We will also support families by producing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged 5 to 16.