Screentime in Schools- Any Scottish GMC-registered doctors on Mumsnet? Please consider signing

[ScreenConcerned]

I wanted to raise awareness of an important issue and hopefully reach more doctors working in Scotland.

Yesterday’s Scotsman reported that more than 70 Scottish doctors from different specialities have backed concerns raised by Dr Sohail Bhatti, NHS Borders Director of Public Health, about the increasing use of screens and iPads in schools.

https://www.scotsman.com/health/more-than-70-scottish-doctors-back-nhs-report-warning-over-school-ipad-use-9315841

This is part of a much wider movement. Just recently, more than 150 clinicians in England signed an open letter to government calling for urgent action on the health implications of screen-based learning in schools. It would be fantastic to see a similarly strong voice from Scottish medical professionals.

There are growing concerns about the potential impact of excessive screen use on children’s eyesight, sleep, physical and mental health, speech, language and development. There is also the question of what screen-based learning is replacing – reading, handwriting, creativity, outdoor play and face-to-face interaction. This isn’t about being anti-technology, but about ensuring children’s health and wellbeing come first.

If you are a GMC-registered doctor working in Scotland, please consider adding your name to the doctors’ statement in support of Dr Bhatti’s concerns. The more doctors who speak up, the stronger the message and the harder it is for these concerns to be ignored.

You can read more and sign here:

https://unplug.scot/

Please also share with Scottish doctor colleagues who might be willing to support this. Thank you!

I don't think the ENglish-based MNers will understand what's happened in Scotland on this - you might be better posting it in the Scottish mumsnet section, if you're allowed to. My sister, a teacher in England, was horrified when I explained what happens in my (P3) daughter's classroom on iPads, and if our local head Dr can't convince the council that 5 year olds shouldn't be spending hours and hours a day glued to an iPad screen, i'm not sure what will.

my daughter now has PE by watching a youtube screen - she hasn't had a proper music lesson in months because they do singalongs to videos on youtube too. this would NEVER be considered normal in my sister's teaching area

I'm not a doctor so i can't sign but i will mention it to a few friends to see if they are similarly concerned - i know a dentist (wife of my husband's friend) has been apalled at the amount of screen time scottish kids are getting, but i don't think that would count, as an allied health professional?

Thank you - I’ll consider asking to have this moved to Scotsnet.

Yes the situation in Scotland with 1-1 devices / screens is especially grim. Kids from nursery age are having iPads embedded across curriculum with schools striving to get Apple awards / Apple school status. In the Borders children are expected to take the iPads home from age 7 and use them at home. There have been several news articles about safeguarding issues.

No evidence of benefit for the vast majority of children but a growing evidence base of the harms and risks.

The NHS Borders Director of Public Health has raised concerns about this and Scottish doctors are now coming out in support (obvs many doctors are also parents)!

The support pledge only seems to be aimed at Scottish medical doctors currently but if another health professional felt strongly they could probably contact the organisers via the website linked in the Op.

Now moved to Scotsnet. Thanks @CommitteeChair

Thanks, I've dropped this to the parent I mentioned (dentist) and apparently she already knew about it anyway. Good to at least check! In the meantime my daughter has mentioned on Friday that a p4 friend had been given an iPad with YouTube on it. I asked if this was at home because I've been told kids don't get access to YouTube on their personal iPads when I started asking questions about it all, and my daughter says it's been removed - but I've asked another parent and apparently they just removed the shortcut on the screen? So it's another question to the school I need to raise potentially when they insist my daughter needs to bring it home every night.

We've worked so hard on controlling screens after my daughter started to become really focused on YouTube after we left it accessible on our living room TV, when she was about 5, and it feels like this is another fucking battle I just don't think I should have to have with school!!

Why am I also only learning about YouTube being installed on the iPads via the kids?! Ridiculous situation

I am a primary teacher and do not recognise the picture being painted here.

I work in an authority with 1:1 devices. We are 5 years into this now. P1-3 have 5 iPads per class. These are used for group teaching but if I’m honest, I doubt staff use them more than once a week.

p4-S6 have a Chromebook. In primary devices are not taken home unless there is a specific need for them at home for learning. I am yet to send a device home with any child. This is an authority wide policy. High school is different and the young people carry them with them.

I use Chromebooks at least once every day. They’re part of the learning toolkit. But I also use jotters, paper and collaborative tasks much more. YouTube is banned in our authority for primary kids. It’s classified as social media and as such, has not been accessible since mid October.

The notion of a generation of kids glued to an iPad all day does not ring true in my experience or in the experience of any class in our authority. If you genuinely have a class being taught PE got 2 hours a week through screens then you should be contacting your Education Departpment and complaining. How are they covering NCCT as PE is a popular cover option.

Children will be on screens far more at home than they are at school. I think ensuring the content is appropriate is more important than avoiding their use at all.

My daughter is at primary school in Scotland (and my eldest has just gone into S1). I don’t recognise this. There is some iPad/Chromebook time but it’s pretty limited. They’ve certainly never had a device home with them.

I’d also say that my eldest has been struggling a little bit in computing because she doesn’t really know her way around a computer and isn’t great at the typing etc. We have an iPad in the house and my husband and I have work laptops but we don’t have the big desktop computer of my childhood so she hasn’t really been exposed to that type of computer.

This is where we are now. They need to know how to use tech.

Can I ask where you are please @Chocolateforbreakfasttoday and @INeverReallyLovedYouAnyway ? Obviously not details but which local authority isn't full on with the iPad use?

We're in the Scottish Borders (we moved here and didn't realise what the local situation was)

I am a teacher in Scotland and do not recognise this in the slightest. We have one class iPad that we use for taking photos.

No local authority is full on digital use. Any school using tech in the way you are describing would slated by HMIE.

My experience is almost identical to @INeverReallyLovedYouAnyway

DD is in P4 and don't think she has ever used an iPad in school. They use chromebooks but they stay in school and seem to be used for specific activities. They still do some outdoor learning (has proportionally has reduced since P1) and she certainly also uses jotters and does worksheets.

I work as a school business manager in a Scottish school and I can tell you the amount spent on iPads is absolutely eye watering. Not to mention the repairs, replacements, keeping the software updated etc. They’re an absolute pain.

Edinburgh parent here. My P3 says they use an iPad for 15 mins once a week for sumdog, a maths program. I’m not sure where you are getting your information from. I haven’t thought of asking my dentist though.

I assume this is secondary?

Is any of this evidence based?

I assume this is secondary?

I’ve worked in all sectors. Secondary is worse but even in primary all P6 and 7 have their own devices. And nursery to P 5 have access to shared devices. There’s also a staff allocation. In a large primary we’re talking over 200 iPads. That’s £80000 worth of kit. Plus chargers, plus cases. It’s not a good use of public money in my opinion. When they need updates, a member of staff has to take them home because the school network can’t cope. They cause all kinds of problems. Honestly I’d bin the lot. There’s no need for primary children to be using these at school.

In our LA all updates are done in school. All networks were updated years ago to be fit for purpose. Chromebooks update on background when turned on. Staff do need a device. All of our admin and record keeping is online.

I manage all our school devices. 16 classes and staff. It’s all done as part of my responsibilities and does not take eons of time. Proper usage guidance is in place. I can access any user at anytime and see what they’ve been doing.

No ours are in primary, P3 here has the endless time on iPads which isnt monitored or controlled. in this class, there are more ipads than students! (no, i'm not joking)

@KingofMay are you in the Borders too?

It doesn't sound like it's like this everywhere (I've never seen anyone in the school use a chrome book, the staff all have ipads too and so do our councillors as part of the IT service)

Borders have chosen all iPads. This is not the case across Scotland.

We have iPads at primary in Glasgow City but it certainly isn’t unregulated/constant use:

• there are a small number of bank iPads for use for short supervised periods p1-4 e.g. for Sumdog (maths app)
• children get ‘their own’ iPad with login p5 but it is still strictly regulated e.g maths app, research or Golden Time. They also start basic coding apps or Duolingo depending on the wider class projects.
• by P7 they get to take their iPads home, but these have strict access filters, no YouTube, social media, etc. So actually other than set homework the kids aren’t that interested compared to TV, parent’s phones or other screens they may have access to.

I’ve never heard of PE or music sessions being iPad-led. That sounds crazy - if that is true it is incredibly lazy teaching. Our primary school has lots of outdoor activities, indoor and outdoor PE, forest school den building etc as well as class based teaching.

i have 3 kids used IPads at Glasgow primary. They are now in secondary and one isn’t very interested in tech, one is now quite into gaming, another who is a maths and computer nerd.

i don’t recognise the ‘over-reliance’ on screens you describe, I’m more worried about social media and algorithms (looking forward to a ban for children and teens) but see the value in educational apps and school iPads at primary school.