Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will issue guidance to schools on identifying gaming disorders.

As part of the statutory relationships, sex and health education guidance, pupils are taught about the importance of online safety and the harms associated with excessive use. Pupils are also taught how to seek help and support for issues or have mental health concerns. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary.

Statutory health education, sets out that pupils are taught that although the internet is an integral part of life, they should understand the benefits of rationing time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices, the impact of positive and negative content and how this might affect mental and physical wellbeing.

Schools can also access the 'Teaching online safety in schools' non-statutory guidance. This includes content on how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of existing curriculum requirements and when they should seek support. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.