Screentime issues for young people discussed by County Councillors

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

By Eddie Bisknell – Local Democracy Reporting Service

Toddlers on iPads, ‘infinite scrolling’, eavesdropping technology, addiction, cyber bullying and eyesight issues were all discused during a meeting on screentime for young people.

At a Derbyshire County Council meeting on Monday 23rd March, councillors on the health scrutiny committee discussed the benefits and challenges of screentime for young people and children.

The meeting was told screen use has been found to start as early as six months of age.

It was told one in five children aged between three and four years old have their own mobile phone, increasing to one in four children by the age of eight and to almost all children by the age of 12.

This follows a vote in Parliament this month in which MPs rejected a social media ban for under-16s, instead preferring increased conditions such as minimum ages for social media platforms and switching off features such as autoplay.

The meeting was told that new advice for screentime among five to 16 year olds was to be issued in April.

Robyn Wight, the council’s assistant director of public health, said potential restrictions were being aimed at making social media less addictive, including curbing ‘infinite scrolling’.

Cllr Stuart Bent, Reform UK, said a child of a friend of his was bullied via their phone and said this was a key issue in worsening mental health.

Ms Wight said cyberbulling was a core issue relating to screentime and phone use, saying children often feel they are “unable to escape it”.

Cllr Bent claimed a friend of his had experienced severe memory loss due to electromagnetic waves from his mobile phone and that children may be more susceptible to issues.

Ms Wight said: “There is nothing in the report today about radiation from mobile phones and they are used quite broadly by a lot of people.”

Cllr Bent responded: “You won’t do. It is a multi-billion-pound industry and they don’t want people not using them.”

Cllr David Harvey, Reform, chairman of the committee, said: “A mobile phone is a modern tool in a modern world. When I was growing up it was the TV which was seen as the addictive thing.

“We all adapt, we are an adaptive civilisation. The world has moved on and we have to be able to adapt with it. I remember when you weren’t allowed a calculator in school.”

Officials said there were clear benefits from improved technology, such as access to more information and education platforms, but also risks such as misinformation, online bullying and eyestrain.

They said a 2024 Government report found the harms of screentime significantly outweighed the benefits for young children but that limited use can have benefits for older children.

Cllr Martin Bromley, Reform, said his grandchildren, aged five-seven, could likely teach councillors “quite a lot” and said more education for parents would be beneficial.

He said: “I don’t want us to be a nanny state where we tell parents what to do, but we do need to educate people. That is a priority.”

Cllr Carol Hart, Conservative, former cabinet member for health, said: “Technology is always listening in. All you have to do is mention that you might want to go on holiday to Majorca and suddenly you are bombarded by things. It does worry me.”

James Creaghan, the county council’s public health lead for mental health and suicide prevention, said: “Young people know TikTok is full of misinformation and they still use it. It is all about getting young people to question what they are seeing and what they are hearing, empowering young people.”

Cllr Harvey said: “I have my concerns, as I think all parents and grandparents do. I have a grandson and it is all too easy to just let them have the iPad.”