(Posted: Sun 25 Dec 2016 16.00 GMT)

Screen-based lifestyle harms children’s health

A decade ago our first multiple-signatory “toxic childhood” press letter described how children’s health and wellbeing were being undermined by the decline of outdoor play, increasingly screen-based lifestyles, a hyper-competitive schooling system and the unremitting commercialisation of childhood.

Despite widespread public concern, subsequent policymaking has been half-hearted, short-termist and disjointedly ineffective. The above factors continue to affect children adversely, with “school and cool” displacing active, self-directed play at an ever-earlier age. Physical health problems like obesity continue to escalate, and mental health problems among children and young people are approaching crisis levels. As well as the intense distress caused to families, there are obviously longer-term social and economic consequences for society as a whole.

If children are to develop the self-regulation and emotional resilience required to thrive in modern technological culture, they need unhurried engagement with caring adults and plenty of self-directed outdoor play, especially during their early years (0–7). We therefore urge the government to take immediate action, including:

• The development of a coherent, well-funded approach to care and education from pre-birth to age seven, including a kindergarten stage for three- to seven-year-olds emphasising social and emotional development and outdoor play.
• National guidelines on screen-based technology for children up to the age of 12, produced by recognised authorities in child health and development.

We also recommend the appointment of a cabinet-level minister for children, remaining in post for a full parliament, whose department audits all government policies for their impact on children’s health and wellbeing; or as an absolute minimum, the setting up of a non-party-political standing conference on children’s health and wellbeing, meeting and reporting regularly to parliament.

Without concerted action, our children’s physical and mental health will continue to deteriorate, with long-term results for UK society that are frankly unthinkable.

Sue Palmer Author of Toxic Childhood and chair of Upstart Scotland

Dr Richard House Educational consultant, editor of Too Much, Too Soon?

Dr Sharie Coombes Child and family psychotherapist; former primary headteacher

Dr Robin Alexander Emeritus professor of education, chair of the Cambridge Primary Review Trust

Professor Lord Layard Director, Wellbeing Programme, Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics & Political Science

Baroness Susan Greenfield Research Neuroscientist

Rowan Williams Magdalene College, Cambridge

Philip Pullman Writer

Naomi Eisenstadt

Tim Brighouse

Richard Bowlby Attachment theory tutor

Christopher Ball Former chair of Wave Trust, author of Start Right: Importance of Early Learning

Anthony Seldon Author and vice-chancellor of University of Buckingham

Jonathon Porritt Founder director, Forum for the Future

Susie Orbach

Oliver James Chartered psychologist, relational psychotherapist

Kevin Courtney General secretary, National Union of Teachers

Neil Leitch CEO, Pre-school Learning Alliance

Theresa Casey President, International Play Association

Gareth Wyn Davies CEO, Forest School Association

Penelope Leach Hon senior research fellow, Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust

Neil Roskilley CEO, Independent Schools Association

Professor Emerita Janet Moyles Early childhood education and play consultant

Professor Guy Claxton Emeritus professor of the learning sciences, author of Building Learning Power

Professor Pat Preedy Movement for Learning project, Loughborough University

Professor Richard Pring Former director, Department of Education, University of Oxford

Sami Timimi Professor of child psychiatry and mental health improvement, University of Lincoln

Colwyn Trevarthen Professor (emeritus) of child psychology and psychobiology, University of Edinburgh

Wendy Ellyatt CEO, Save Childhood Movement

Natasha Devon Campaigner, former government mental health champion and co-founder of the Self-Esteem Team

Professor Steve Biddulph Psychologist and author

Professor Jayne Osgood Middlesex University

Dr Sue Gerhardt Author of Why Love Matters

Wendy Scott Former DfE adviser

Andrew Samuels Professor of analytical psychology, University of Essex; former chair, UK Council for Psychotherapy

Professor Del Loewenthal Director, Research Centre for Therapeutic Education, University of Roehampton

Professor Karin Lesnik-Oberstein Director of the Graduate Centre for International Research in Childhood: Literature, Culture, Media

Anne Alvarez Consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist

Dr Graham Music Consultant child and adolescent psychotherapist, Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust

Dr David Whitebread Homerton College, University of Cambridge