Worried about your kid's screentime? Got a question about addictive algorithms? AMA with with Health Professionals for 'Safer Screens'

[SophiaCMumsnet]

Hi everyone,

We’re pleased to announce that Dr. Becky Foljambe, NHS GP and Founder of Health Professionals for Safer Screens, and Dr. Sanjiv Nichani OBE, Senior Consultant Paediatrician at Leicester Children's Hospital, will be doing an AMA tomorrow evening (Tuesday the 21st of January) between 6pm and 8pm.

Health Professionals for Safer Screens is a collective of healthcare professionals, including GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, public health consultants, optometrists, speech and language therapists, and others. They are united by their concern about the harmful effects of screens on child development.

One of their key aims is to support parents in navigating this challenging area. To help, they’ve created practical leaflets with tips suitable for children of all ages. You can learn more about their work here: Health Professionals for Safer Screens Instagram.

Dr. Becky Foljambe was inspired to establish this initiative after seeing the impact of screens on children and young people in her work as an NHS GP. She is passionate about leading a call for change in this area.

Dr. Sanjiv Nichani OBE is not only a Senior Consultant Paediatrician but also the founder of Healing Little Hearts, a charity providing life-saving heart surgery to children in the poorest communities worldwide. He is so concerned about the harms of screens for children that he has coined the term “Screen-demic.”

Dr. Foljambe and Dr. Nichani will be answering your questions about the impact of screens on child development and sharing practical advice tomorrow evening between 6pm and 8pm. Please post your questions below.

As always, please remember our guidelines – one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Hi both,

Thank you for doing this. How would you say we as parents can set healthy screen time boundaries without causing too much conflict at home?

Thanks

Do you know of any apps that are great at allowing parents to remotely control screen time?

We have used Kidslox and Kapersky but unfortunately the children found ways around them or they kept glitching

We are back to using Apple controls for the time being

My child is a EBSR and does I hour tuition then 10 hours on a screen as they would be very un happy if we reduce that so we are frightened to reduce time
any advice on how to reduce time , what to replace it with
any help gratefully received

Can i set a laptop/tablet to turn off and be inresponsive for set time of my choosing

We don’t let DD have too much screen time but feel like we’ve opened a door to it and she gets really upset when we turn it off. We do lots of playing with toys and reading as well, how can we start to scale back?

What is considered as screen time and is it all equally negative or do you see any benefits?

edit to change word

I’ve heard people say we’ll look back on kids access to social media in the same way we look back on the tobacco industry - do you think that’s a fair comparison in terms of the potential damage?

How do you know that your child has too much screen time? Is there a blanket number by age or are there other things to watch for?
Does that change for neurodiverse kids?

Is all screentime considered the same? Or are some formats/content more harmful?

Good evening!
I can completely empathise with this! This report nicely addresses the issues that we are all facing with parental controls: https://parentzone.org.uk/article/are-online-safety-tools-giving-us-false-hope It acknowledges these controls are 'far from a perfect solution.' Children can find workarounds very easily at the moment (as we have all experienced!) and we cannot ever feel fully reassured that they are fully protected from inappropriate or harmful content. We are hearing good reports about this one though; https://www.qustodio.com/en/

Screen Squirrel is also good for managing screen time too.
We have also come across a good talk that is coming up you might want to sign up to? https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8217350660243/WN_ugZg0hEAQi2k27QrnNkf-Q#/registration

You are not alone with this. There is still a long way to go and what parents should be able to rely upon is a device that has built in parental controls and is safe from the moment it is turned on.

Parents must lead by example
When we refer to Screentime we refer to Non Educational Screen Time
Health Professionals for Safer Screens has created a Five a Day Infographic which is based on NICE guidelines ,WHO and American Academy of Paediatrics recommendations
It advises the following:
For 0-2 years the only Screen time should be video chatting ,for 2-5 years the Screen Time should not be more than 30 minutes, for 5-10year olds 1 hour on weekdays and upto 2 on weekends and for 11-17 year olds not more than 2 hours Mon-Fri and upto 3 hours on weekends

Given the very powerful emerging evidence about the adverse effects of too much Screen Time on development in early childhood and mental health in later childhood it is really important that DD's Screentime is controlled
Whilst it might seem difficult at the moment managing this issue now will potentially protect DD from problems further down the line
It is important to remember a lot of these apps and algorithms are addictive some thing that was unbekwown to doctors until recently
Please find some guidance below
Health Professionals for Safer Screens has created a Five a Day Infographic which is based on NICE guidelines ,WHO and American Academy of Paediatrics recommendations
It advises the following:
For 0-2 years the only Screen time should be video chatting ,for 2-5 years the Screen Time should not be more than 30 minutes, for 5-10year olds 1 hour on weekdays and upto 2 on weekends and for 11-17 year olds not more than 2 hours Mon-Fri and upto 3 hours on weekends

This sounds really difficult for you and your child. I think managing this would depend on how old your child is? And also their capabilities to learn off screens. Learning off screens would always be preferable where possible, especially if reading a book, doing creative writing or drawing a picture as it's much better for our brains and learning, and invariably reduces stress and anxiety. And also, all children should be getting an hour of physical activity per day, so exploring what that might look like and how that could be achieved would be good. I feel you have probably already done all this! So forgive me, I dont want to patronise. In truth if you were in front of me in the surgery I'd want to know what your child likes to do that isn't school based and work back from there. Regardless of any emotional / mental health issues, it is vital that basic health measures are observed around screens such as no phones at the meal table, no phones in bedrooms and plenty of non-screen based activities. Hopefully our leaflet can help with that - ive uploaded a picture of what to look for in our resource section on www.healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org
Then parent to parent, most children will be unhappy when we reduce screen time. These devices and their apps are addictive by design, very poorly regulated and created with the intention of keeping our children on them for as long as possible. It is our job ( a very difficult one!) to counteract that by keeping screen time moderated and making sure children are doing other non-screen based activities as much as possible. So don't be 'frightened' of taking the screen away. I'm sure you wouldn't be frightened of turning the TV off if they'd been sitting in front of it too long or saying no to requests for more sweets or junk food. Be confident (even if you aren't feeling it!) and consistent and of course we need to model good behaviours and what we're asking of our children we need to ask of ourselves. As regards to how to handle conversations I've found this nice advice from a school in Scotland which might be helpful? https://portobellohighschool.org.uk/support/emotionally-based-school-refusers/
This is not at all easy for you. I hope you have supportive people around you and a good GP. Check out the Children and Screens website and listen to their podcast Screen Deep too, as they have wonderful researchers on there and great tips.
Keep talking to each other in as easy breezy way as you can manage - make small goals and stick to them. And also don't be afraid to completely remove the screen on a family trip or to do something lovely together. Remember: Children who have too much screen use often cant tell us what they'd like to do instead, so you decide and crack on with it! Good luck and keep going.

ScreenTime is recreational or Non Educational Screen Time spent on a tablet or a Smartphone
There can be benefits but the problem is that many of the apps have addictive algorithms which trap children into being on them for far too long
In the UK 30% of teenagers spend 6 or more hours per day on the 4 most popular apps which is akin to an addiction
Please find below advice on appropriate screen times as well as a link to further useful information

Health Professionals for Safer Screens has created a Five a Day Infographic which is based on NICE guidelines ,WHO and American Academy of Paediatrics recommendations
It advises the following:
For 0-2 years the only Screen time should be video chatting ,for 2-5 years the Screen Time should not be more than 30 minutes, for 5-10year olds 1 hour on weekdays and upto 2 on weekends and for 11-17 year olds not more than 2 hours Mon-Fri and upto 3 hours on weekends

https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/%C2%A9HPFSS_A5_NHS_EMHL_Jan_2025-1.pdf

POSTER

https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/%C2%A9Combined_Poster_No_LCH_13_DEC.pdf

Hello, I've enquired about this for you! You can do screen-time parental controls within the family settings on Apple and that child's device (smartphone/tablet) will then only be useable for basic function e.g. making calls. You can obviously turn off your wifi too or set timers on that for the children's devices through the wifi providers which can- I think- allow wifi to some family devices and not others. But this can often be pricey. https://www.qustodio.com/en/ might help but I dont think it would shut down the laptop.
Having a chat about family rules - no phones in bedrooms- or at meal tables and daily screen free activities is really important too. If there is sneaking about to get laptops/tablets out when they have been put away (common!) then discuss this together. If all else fails put it in a locked draw- but that might work better if you all do that as a family and make it a positive thing- 'let's do something else' .....

Health Professionals for Safer Screens has created a Five a Day Infographic which is based on NICE guidelines ,WHO and American Academy of Paediatrics recommendations
It advises the following:
For 0-2 years the only Screen time should be video chatting ,for 2-5 years the Screen Time should not be more than 30 minutes, for 5-10year olds 1 hour on weekdays and upto 2 on weekends and for 11-17 year olds not more than 2 hours Mon-Fri and upto 3 hours on weekends
https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/%C2%A9HPFSS_A5_NHS_EMHL_Jan_2025-1.pdf
POSTER
https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/%C2%A9Combined_Poster_No_LCH_13_DEC.pdf

Numerous studies are demonstrating Brain changes in children who spend long periods of time on screens and social media
As a result there is a significant clinical concern that if neurodiverse children spend prolonged periods of time on screens and apps it could potentially make the underlying problems worse

There is an entity called Acquired ADHD ie teenagers with no previous health problems develop symptoms such as hyperactivity inattention and being easily distracted as a result of spending many hours regularly on Screens and Apps

The theory is that excessive screen time and social media use can cause changes in the brain similar to those in children with neurodiversity, potentially making the underlying problem worse

For further advice and guidance please explore
https://www.childrenandscreens.org/learn-explore/research/neurodivergent-youth-and-digital-media/

The 4 commonly used Social Media apps have addictive algorithms that entraps the person into constant scrolling
When you go onto one of these apps there is a release of the happy chemical in the Brain called Dopamine
The Dopamine level gets depleted very quickly and to get that rush again it induces the user to keep scrolling hence their addictive nature
It is only in the last couple of years that we have realised how millions of people around the world have been affected by these addictive algorithms
However now that we are aware of these serious adverse effects it is time to take back control from these apps
Far too many children and adults are being controlled by Smartphones and Apps and rather than the other way around hence the call to action from Health Professionals for Safer Screens

Hello!
I think that is a completely fair comparison. Tobacco is an addictive potentially harmful product and that description could easily be applied to the addictive-by-design social media apps that are currently poorly regulated and designed to pull children in and very often exposing them to harmful/addictive content at far too young an age without them even asking for it. Having an internet enabled smartphone at too young an age is a risky thing when we consider potential damage. There are many reports out there to advise us of the sheer size of the number of children being exposed to damaging situations; https://www.internetmatters.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Internet-Matters-Online-misogyny-and-image-based-abuse-report-Sep-2023-2.pdf Tobacco products were legalised to protect children. Some might challenge this, in saying that it's not quite the same as tobacco is never good for you, whereas social media for example can be good for children. I think this argument does not stand up in the face of the risks and there are plenty of other ways children can connect and communicate with each other, that carries many more health benefits. Children at a young age (under 13- it should be 16 in our view) on social media is not healthy at all and should not be encouraged. We talk about the 'whole child' impacts of these devices. Our leaflet attached healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MP_Leaflet.pdf states some of the reasons why we are concerned. I think we will look back on this and think we were slow to react and did not prioritise child safeguarding over and above everything else. I know it's not simple and I am absolutely not anti-tech by any stretch, but we're not getting it right at the moment. It's a really interesting question, thank you for asking it.

Thanks for this answer! It also made me think - because of what you’ve said about u16 v u13 (and I suppose considering how some things are banned for u18s as well) what the scientific evidence is that supports each of those age cut offs? Why do you think 16 is right for social media?

Hello again,
The development period between 13-16 is a fragile time. Many parents and teens struggle with this period of adolescence anyway and it is an extremely common time for teenagers to present to us in GP with mental health symptoms (although this age of first presentation is getting younger all the time sadly). At this age it is a risky period with regards to accessing pornography, social comparison and self-harming. Children are reaching peak puberty, but many do not have the maturity to deal with smartphones safely. They are also approaching their first set of exams- a unique pressure in the UK compared to most other countries. Do read our harms briefing as it talks about developmental ages. https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/HPFSS-Risk-Briefing-v.2.pdf The age at which a child first has a smartphone is correlated with worse mental health outcomes. The younger the age of first having a smartphone, the worse the mental health that the young adult reports today. A separate, large longitudinal study of 9-14 year olds showed that greater total screen time, social media use and problematic smartphone use are associated with more eating disorder symptoms in early adolescence. Each additional hour of total screen time and social media use was associated with higher odds of fear of weight gain, self-worth tied to weight, compensatory behaviours to prevent weight gain, binge eating and distress with binge eating two years later. (We're discussing eating disorders and social media as our topic until the end of Feb on our HP4SS platform).
16 might still be too young for some children, but it is a safer place to start rather than what we have now which is not good at all. https://www.parentkind.org.uk/assets/resources/NPS-24-Hyperlinked_compressed.pdf
Thank you so much for your response. I hope I've answered your question ok. Please do get in touch if not or check out our website for more resources.