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.

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.