A consortium of 21 nurseries, schools and colleges in Southwark, southeast London, has sent a letter to families of more than 11,000 students urging parents to limit not only their children's screen time but also their own. The letter, sent on 9 June, encourages adults to 'minimise their own screen use when in front of children' and sets out daily screen time guidelines for different age groups, from five minutes for infants up to 18 months to five hours for students aged 14-16.
The move comes in response to observations of children developing worrying attachments to screens, speech and language issues among new pupils, and emotional needs 'that are likely to have been exaggerated by or are even directly attributable to excessive screen time'. Joanne Hawthorne of St Anthony's Catholic Primary School noted: 'A sad observation is that children on buses, in buggies and in cars are given devices rather than toys.'
While much public concern has focused on children's screen use, experts argue that adult behaviour is at the root of the problem. Research shows that children imitate adult actions from an early age, a phenomenon known as 'over-imitation'. As one paper in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology explains, children spontaneously copy complex behaviours, even those with no obvious function, meaning they learn to prioritise screens by watching adults.
The letter also asks teachers to adopt better screen habits and emphasises that the guidance is 'not an attack on modern parenting'. Parents are encouraged to 'be present and engaged when they drop off and pick up their child rather than being on a phone'. The initiative highlights a growing recognition that tackling screen addiction requires changes in adult behaviour as well as children's.
