London teacher questions social media ban practicality
As it's revealed that more than half of UK school children spend at least three hours a day on screens outside of school, a London teacher has questioned whether restricting social media would reduce overall screen time.
Over half of UK school children spend at least three hours a day on screens outside of school hours, according to new research by Go Student. The study by the online tutoring platform found that the rise in digital consumption in children has raised increasing concern about academic performance.
94% of teachers surveyed saw clear performance differences in children with high and low screen time. 72% of teachers highlighted that social media was having a negative effect on children’s academic success and their concentration.
This has prompted fresh debate on the government’s public consultation on banning social media for children under 16.
A south London teacher has told City News that banning children from social media will not be an effective tool for reducing their screen time.
“The number of times I have had a child tell me they haven’t completed their homework because they were playing video games or watching films instead. Reducing their time on social media platforms, like TikTok or Instagram, is only going to increase their time on another screen. Ideally, parents need to be stricter with their children when it comes to screen time. It would improve their wellbeing and then their schoolwork”
TikTok, one of the social media platforms used by children (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
The main concern is sleep. Three in five parents are worried that screen time affects their child’s ability to rest.
Counsellor Kate Lewis says that high screen use is cutting into sleep and reducing children’s attention spans. She says:
“Building real friendships, independence and focus is vital for healthy emotional and cognitive development”, which in turn influences academic performance.
Calls for enforcing current laws
Sonia Livingstone, professor in the department of Media and Communications at LSE, says that “We already have a de facto ban for under 13s on social media. But we are not enforcing it.”
Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, only children aged 13 or older can lawfully provide consent for the processing of their data.
If social media platforms find an account is being used by someone under the age of 13, they must take it down. However, with no age verification services on these platforms, it is difficult to enforce.
To improve children’s academic performance by reducing their screen time, Felix Ohswald, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Student, says a cross-collaboration approach between home and school is needed.
HeadlineLondon teacher questions social media ban practicality
Short HeadlineChildren's screen time raises questions over social media ban
StandfirstAs it's revealed that more than half of UK school children spend at least three hours a day on screens outside of school, a London teacher has questioned whether restricting social media would reduce overall screen time.
Over half of UK school children spend at least three hours a day on screens outside of school hours, according to new research by Go Student. The study by the online tutoring platform found that the rise in digital consumption in children has raised increasing concern about academic performance.
94% of teachers surveyed saw clear performance differences in children with high and low screen time. 72% of teachers highlighted that social media was having a negative effect on children’s academic success and their concentration.
This has prompted fresh debate on the government’s public consultation on banning social media for children under 16.
A south London teacher has told City News that banning children from social media will not be an effective tool for reducing their screen time.
“The number of times I have had a child tell me they haven’t completed their homework because they were playing video games or watching films instead. Reducing their time on social media platforms, like TikTok or Instagram, is only going to increase their time on another screen. Ideally, parents need to be stricter with their children when it comes to screen time. It would improve their wellbeing and then their schoolwork”
TikTok, one of the social media platforms used by children (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
The main concern is sleep. Three in five parents are worried that screen time affects their child’s ability to rest.
Counsellor Kate Lewis says that high screen use is cutting into sleep and reducing children’s attention spans. She says:
“Building real friendships, independence and focus is vital for healthy emotional and cognitive development”, which in turn influences academic performance.
Calls for enforcing current laws
Sonia Livingstone, professor in the department of Media and Communications at LSE, says that “We already have a de facto ban for under 13s on social media. But we are not enforcing it.”
Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, only children aged 13 or older can lawfully provide consent for the processing of their data.
If social media platforms find an account is being used by someone under the age of 13, they must take it down. However, with no age verification services on these platforms, it is difficult to enforce.
To improve children’s academic performance by reducing their screen time, Felix Ohswald, CEO and Co-Founder of Go Student, says a cross-collaboration approach between home and school is needed.
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