Children (and parents) are essentially expected to be tech/device literate (and to have access to devices) in order to access the curriculum. Then are bashed over the head with messages that they are failing and bad parents when they use the devices/screens. Inculcating a gnawing sense of perennial failure and adding to stress.
This is so well put.
The foundation of child wellbeing is their parents, their family. And yet, zero consideration of parental wellbeing. If parents are stressed, forced to spend hours on screens they don't want to (this is me absolutely) and then made to feel guilty over a situation they have little control over, that does not benefit their children.
I can't tell you how much fruitless time I've spent trying to get rubbish school apps to work which is literally soul destroying and has taken time away from spending time with my child and also depleted my mental resilience. It's SO SO SO MUCH better and quicker now the school doesn't use them and results in better communication between parents and school.
I would also question the inclusion of so many academics producing this guidance. It might be better to have teachers involved. I note no mention of actually looking at what is happening in schools in the real world or talking to teachers, parents, students and governors. Are the people producing this guidance actually going to set foot in any school?
We don't need academic 'evidence' alone we need real world experience - some of the realities discussed on this thread. Academic 'evidence' is very linked to researcher interests and what is funded and can very easily bear absolutely no resemblance to the real world. There is real-world evidence out there that they need to look at e.g. the over use of EdTech in schools. Profiteering around this. Inappropriate use of government funding to push tech in schools with no adequate oversight of whether it delivers what it promises and no consideration of the harms of this to parents or children.
I wonder how much producing this 'guidance' will cost and whether that might be better spent by giving it to a few schools to actually try and develop a better understanding of their pupils screen time usage both in and outside of school and the flaws in the current system. Maybe even just using that money so a few schools can actually buy sufficient books rather than relying on screens?
I'm also going to say that when deciding on important parental issues, I'd take the advice and range of thinking and critical opinion (almost always backed up with evidence) on mumsnet over anything DfE produces. There are quite a few teachers on here too with very interesting experiences. I find most government guidance these days patronising and hypocritical. DfE has failed in so many ways in schools in recent years - we the parents with children actually in these schools have seen this, so why trust their advice?
(edited to add: ironically tech failure - I clicked on the 'delete quote' button so I could bold the text instead, and yet it's included it!)