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Written question asked by Lord Lebedev (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 10 December 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 December 2024. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Wednesday, 18 December 2024 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mobile Phones and Social Media: Children

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential neurodevelopmental impacts in children from prolonged screen time using mobile phones and social media, and how any such assessment informs public health guidance for families and schools.

Answer

In 2018, the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officer commissioned independent researchers at University College London to map published research on screen time, social media, and children and young people’s mental health. Their findings were published by the National Institute for Health Research.

On 7 February 2019, the Chief Medical Officer published a commentary on this research, alongside their advice for parents and carers, and their recommendations for other stakeholders. They determined that the evidence was insufficiently conclusive to support the Chief Medical Officer’s evidence-based guidelines on optimal amounts of screen use or online activities, such as social media use.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL3350
Session
2024-26
Related items
Subjects
Children Health hazards Mobile phones Neurology Social media
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk