Ellie Reeves Labour MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Smartphones and Children
As we approach the halfway point of the academic year, I have been reflecting on the many fantastic discussions I have had with children, young people, and their teachers during my many visits to schools in Lewisham West and East Dulwich.
A key theme that I have noticed is the frequent questions surrounding the use of smartphones and children.
This Government is committed to relentlessly pursuing a reduction in children’s exposure to harmful content. I believe that safety must be baked in from the start.
I am therefore pleased to support the introduction of the five new strategic priorities under the Online Safety Act, which will ensure that children have the strongest protections. These new strategic priorities focus on safety by design, transparency and accountability, agile regulation, inclusivity, resilience and innovation and will help ensure that protections for children are implemented effectively.
I am also pleased that the Department for Science, Industry and Technology (DSIT) have launched research on the effects of smartphone and social media use on children, to boost the evidence base around online harms. Teachers have raised their concerns with me about today’s children becoming increasingly anxious due to the increased use of social media. I believe that it is important to understand the relationship between children’s well-being and smartphone use so that the best course of action can be taken.
Finally, I believe that classrooms are not an appropriate place for children to be accessing mobile phones. I support the guidance from the Department of Education that advises that schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones. Alongside this, I believe it is important that headteachers retain responsibility for deciding how they choose to implement this policy.
I will continue to work towards keeping children safe online and seeking out the input of those in Lewisham West and East Dulwich.