Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to implement (a) recommendations on guidance for parents on the effects of screen time on infants and (b) other recommendations in the former Education Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2023-24 entitled Screen time: impacts on education and wellbeing, HC 118.

The department recognises the Education Committee’s concerns about the impacts of screen time and we are committed across government to protecting children online. We have responded to the Committee’s report.

The department and cross-government partners including the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) are taking action now, based on robust evidence and good practice, to provide guidance and support to schools, children and parents. Across government we are taking strong action on regulation to ensure the technology industry is clear on the government's expectations of how they should and must support children’s safety and wellbeing. The effective implementation of the Online Safety Act is a government priority. With leadership from DSIT and Ofcom, the Act is putting in place wide reaching protections for children.

There are areas where further evidence is needed, and it will also take time to understand the impact of guidance and how it could be improved in future. However, we have set out how all recommendations will be carefully considered as future actions are developed.