NSPCC advice to parents on how long children should spend looking at screens
In the 21st Century, it is not unusual to see a young child glued to the screen of a mobile phone or tablet.
Screen time has been the subject of much bad press in recent years with ominous terms such as 'doom scrolling' having worrying implications on children and young people.
The question of how long children should have access to screens has always been a contentious topic and the children's charity, NSPCC, has offered the following advice to parents.
Jan McDonald, NSPCC schools coordinator for Hampshire, said: 'There's no set amount of time that a child should spend online or offline, and it varies depending on their age.
'That said, it's important to maintain a balance - to strike this balance, you could decide on some screen time limits together as a family.
"You could also schedule some screen breaks and try out some new offline activities together, such as board games, or trying a new sport."
The summer holidays are now in full swing meaning that many children and teenagers will have additional time - some of which might involve surfing the web and looking at social media.
READ MORE: Men suffer head and nose injuries after brawl in Neva Road
This week, the government launched its Online Saftey Bill to better protect children while they are operating online.
Jan continued: 'Try making use of the wellbeing settings on social media apps or on your devices to help you with this.
'It's best to put into practice the online safety advice you give to your child. This is because your child looks to you for guidance on all sorts of things.
'So, this means also doing things like taking breaks from your screen, blocking negative content, and questioning what you see, hear, and share online.
'Search 'NSPCC Positively Online' for more for tips and a quiz to help you support your child's online wellbeing.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
10 minutes ago
- Medscape
Even Low Lead Exposure Can Impair Academic Outcomes in Kids
TOPLINE: Every 1-unit increase in blood lead levels in early childhood — even when below the 'safe' threshold of 3.5 µg/dL — was associated with declines in math and reading scores from grades 2 through 11, similar to those seen at higher lead levels. METHODOLOGY: Researchers used the 2021 US CDC's revision of the blood lead reference value to ≥ 3.5 μg/dL. They analyzed data from birth certificates of children born in Iowa from 1989 to 2010, academic test scores from grades 2 through 11, and blood lead testing data from 1990 to 2017. The analysis included 305,256 children (mean age at lead testing, 1.9 years; 49% girls) and nearly 1.8 million math and reading scores to calculate the national percentile rank (NPR). Primary outcomes included NPR scores across grades 2 through 11, comparing children with blood lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL with those at or above this threshold. TAKEAWAY: Overall, 37.7% of children had lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL. Among children with blood lead levels < 3.5 μg/dL, a 1-unit increase was associated with lower NPR scores in math (-0.47; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.30) and in reading (-0.38; 95% CI, -0.56 to -0.20). Similarly, for lead levels at ≥ 3.5 μg/dL, every 1-unit increase was linked to a significant decline in NPR scores for math and reading. The trend of declining scores with increasing lead levels was persistent across grades 2 through 11; only the declines in reading scores for grades 10 and 11 were not statistically significant. IN PRACTICE: 'The present work provides further evidence to support that there are no safe levels of lead and that there is a need to continue to reduce or eliminate lead exposure,' the authors of the study wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by George L. Wehby, MPH, PhD, of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. It was published online on May 28, 2025, in JAMA Network Open. LIMITATIONS: Several laboratories used the old 5 μg/dL cutoff to quantify high lead levels. Researchers lacked data on any lead-related interventions the children may have received. DISCLOSURES: Wehby reported receiving grants from the Gates Foundation during the conduct of this study. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
West Cumbrian charity hosts Workplace Conference on Domestic Abuse
More than 120 people attended a conference in Workington aimed at tackling domestic abuse in the workplace. The Freedom Project hosted its Workplace Conference on Domestic Abuse at Energus in Lillyhall, bringing together 129 attendees. The event attracted employers, HR professionals, wellbeing leads, and organisational leaders from across West Cumbria. Vicky, a spokeswoman for the Freedom Project said: "We were overwhelmed by the response. "The room was full of people ready to learn, listen, and lead. "It shows that businesses are starting to see domestic abuse not just as a personal issue, but as a workplace issue and one they can do something about." The free, full-day event provided "practical training and insight on recognising the signs of abuse, responding with care, and creating inclusive, trauma-informed policies." Attendees heard from expert speakers, took part in interactive sessions, and listened to personal testimonies. The conference aimed to highlight the critical role employers can play in supporting staff affected by domestic abuse by recognising warning signs, offering spaces for disclosure, and putting supportive measures in place. One attendee said: "This conference has opened our eyes to the scale of the issue. "It's given us the tools and confidence to make changes that could genuinely save lives." Organisers said the conference received 'overwhelmingly positive' feedback from delegates, with many requesting further resources, training, and follow-up events. The organisation is now planning additional opportunities for training and collaboration with businesses across the region. The Freedom Project is a West Cumbria-based charity that supports individuals and families affected by domestic abuse through education, advocacy, and support. Its mission is to break the cycle of abuse and help build safer communities. The project also works with employers to raise awareness of how domestic abuse can impact the workplace and to equip them with the knowledge and tools to support affected staff. Organisations interested in accessing resources or learning more about future training opportunities are encouraged to contact the Freedom Project for further information. The charity can be reached by emailing hope@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Jeremy Clarkson puzzled by failure of 'cruel, costly' badger cull
Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson has been left puzzled by the failure of what a badger campaign group calls a 'cruel, costly' policy. The star of the Amazon Prime series Clarkson's Farm announced Tuberculosis (TB) had broken out at Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington on Thursday (July 31). He said: "Bad news from Diddly Squat. We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated." He then added later on in the afternoon: "I should clear this up, really. It's Bovine TB that we have. "It doesn't affect people, just our poor cows." Bovine TB can be disastrous for farming communities, running through herds of cows, killing many. READ MORE: Oxfordshire is an 'edge area' for the disease, meaning it is a buffer zone between high-risk and low-risk areas so most herds are subject to six-monthly TB tests by default. Bovine TB has broken out at Diddly Squat Farm (Image: Press Associaton) One of the ways TB outbreaks are controlled is through badger culls, stopping the spread from animal-to-animal which are allowed under UK law. The effectiveness of these measures is widely disputed and Mr Clarkson, who previously was supportive of the culls, seems to have become more sceptical of their impact. Speaking on Times Radio, he said: 'The cull here was pretty heavy and a lot of badgers went off to meet their maker. There was a badger cull in Oxfordshire (PA)'So, you would imagine with the numbers so low that TB would be halted and yet it hasn't been.' He went on to say that his farm isn't alone with this problem and others nearby also have suffered an outbreak. In fact there have been several cases in Oxfordshire near Diddly Squat Farm in recent weeks, according to ibTB, a mapping platform for the disease in England and Wales. Mr Clarkson added: 'So, you could say the badger cull stopped in October and everyone's now getting TB. That's because we're not culling badgers anymore. Clarkson spoke on the radio about the disease (PA) (Image: PA) 'Or you could look at it the other way. The numbers are low so it should have cut the instances of TB down and it doesn't seem to have done that. "I'm struggling to get my head around that at the moment.' Reacting to these developments, the Oxfordshire Badger Group (OBG) called the culling of badgers a 'cruel, costly and failed policy'. 'There is no evidence that badger culling has any impact on reducing bovine TB,' a spokesperson said. READ MORE: They said that almost a quarter of a million badgers have been killed since the cull began in England in 2013 'without scientific evidence'. The OBG called the policy cruel '60 per cent of Oxfordshire is in the cull area', added OBG. "And 10,000 badgers have been killed since culling began in Oxfordshire in 2020." Instead of the cull the group suggested implementing 'cattle based measures'. The Oxfordshire Badger Group (Image: Oxfordshire Badger Group) These include properly regulated cattle movement, improved biosecurity and a reliable testing system. The badger group has regularly campaigned in Oxford and the wider county. This included an open letter and petition to scientists at Oxford University last year, calling for them to speak up against badger culling. Members of the group also delivered an open letter calling for Oxford University academic Professor Sir Charles Godfray to step down from a review into the spread of bovine-TB. They stood with a petition outside the Oxford Martin School in March to hand over a petition dressed in their traditional badger costumes.
