Doctors warn classroom screens are harming children’s speech and eyesight
Over 150 healthcare professionals, including GPs, paediatricians and speech therapists, have warned that prolonged screen time in schools is creating a "crisis" in children's physical and developmental health, damaging their speech and eyesight. The clinicians have called on the Government to impose health checks on educational technology products and establish guidelines for safe daily screen exposure, arguing that no other product given to millions of children would escape such scrutiny.
Almost one million children now learn on devices during every lesson, with a further 2.6 million using screens daily for education. Screen use in schools "exploded" during the pandemic and has never been rolled back, the letter states. The professionals are particularly concerned about one-to-one device use in early years education, where face-to-face interaction is critical for language development. Although the Government introduced a mobile phone ban for schools in summer, learning devices remain exempt from such restrictions.
- Over 150 doctors warn school screen time damages children's speech and eyesight
- No government health checks applied to educational technology used by millions of pupils
- Clinicians call for safety guidelines and rollback of device use in classrooms
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Schools in the UK have increased their use of learning devices in classrooms, with this trend accelerating markedly during the pandemic. Today, almost one million children learn on screens throughout their lessons, whilst a further 2.6 million use devices daily for educational purposes. This significant shift towards classroom technology represents a substantial change from how schools operated before.
A large group of healthcare professionals, including doctors, paediatricians and speech therapists, have raised concerns about the impact of prolonged screen use on children's health and development, arguing that screens are harming children's eyesight and speech development. They note that face-to-face interaction with teachers and other children is important for young children's language development, which they believe could be affected by heavy screen use. Screen use in early years education is a particular concern for these professionals.
The healthcare professionals are calling on the Government to regulate learning devices in schools with the same safety checks and health standards that apply to other products used by millions of children. They argue that whilst the Government recently banned mobile phones from schools, learning devices used for education have been exempted from such restrictions. The clinicians believe that educational technology should be subject to health checks and clear guidelines on safe daily exposure levels.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Healthcare professionals raise legitimate developmental concerns grounded in clinical experience: face-to-face interaction is genuinely critical for language acquisition in early years, and prolonged screen exposure has documented effects on vision. That educational devices escape health scrutiny applied to virtually every other product given to millions of children represents a significant regulatory gap worthy of serious attention.
The case against
Digital tools offer genuine educational benefits including personalised learning, resource access, and engagement for learners with diverse needs. Digital literacy is increasingly essential for modern employment and participation. The harms attributed to school screen use remain correlational rather than definitively causal, with out-of-school device use and other factors potentially more significant. Substantial restriction could undermine educational effectiveness and disadvantage students who benefit from technology-based support.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Screen time in schools creating ‘crisis’ in children’s health by damaging speech and eyesight, doctors warn”.