Bridget Phillipson: ‘We don’t know why British children are some of the unhappiest’ — screen time and the outdoor gap
bridget phillipson, the education secretary, used a walk at Forty Hall in Enfield to warn that British children are spending more time indoors and on screens and that parents and policy must respond. She described childhood spent outdoors in Washington, Tyne and Wear and said families now face a paradox of closer monitoring but less independence for children. The exchange puts new emphasis on recent Department of Education guidance on young children’s screen time and experts’ calls for practical steps.
Top lines: screen-time guidance and the personal backdrop
The Department of Education recommends no more than one hour of screen time per day for children under five and says under-twos should avoid screens except for shared, interactive use. The guidance also notes tools on smartphones can help parents limit device use, and that time limits should not be applied in the same way for screen-based assistive technologies used to support children with special educational needs and disabilities.
bridget phillipson framed the debate in personal terms: she recalled growing up on a terrace street near countryside and rivers where outdoor play was the norm, and she described the family dog that helped keep her own children active. In that context she warned that parents now often keep children inside even while technology makes it easier to track them.
Bridget Phillipson on childhood, outdoor time and screens
During the walk at Forty Hall, bridget phillipson said that where she grew up there was open space and long walks with family — a childhood shaped by outdoor time rather than screens. She said: “We’ve ended up in a funny kind of paradox, where we can keep in touch with children more. We can know where they are and what they’re doing, but at the same time, parents are more reluctant to let children go out on their own, develop, grow as individuals, have that sense of independence. ”
The personal testimony sits alongside the Department of Education’s guidance aimed at parents juggling work, household chores and caring for siblings. The guidance stresses shared, interactive screen use for the youngest children and recommends parents lead by example because children copy adult screen habits.
Expert reaction and practical steps
Danielle Matthews, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield, urged parents to treat babies as conversational partners and to be present with children during device use, saying that responding with language tuned to children’s interests helps them learn to talk. She told parents they want evidence-based, practical help with everyday life and that watching together and discussing content is better than solo viewing.
The guidance highlights simple tactics: keep mealtimes and sleep free from digital distractions, use device timers and app limits, supervise young children’s content, and check apps and sites beforehand. The NSPCC is named as offering practical tips for supervising young children and talking about online safety. The Department of Education also pointed to wider findings in its report, including an estimate that 90% of brain growth happens before age five and a previously stated figure that about 98% of children are watching screens daily by age two.
What’s next: policy, parenting and the independence question
bridget phillipson’s comments and the Department of Education guidance put pressure on schools, local services and families to balance screen limits with opportunities for outdoor play and independence. Expect further public discussion about how guidance translates into day-to-day practice, how parents can be supported with realistic steps, and whether local programmes can recreate the kind of outdoor childhood Phillipson described. Policymakers and child development experts will be watching whether parents adopt the shared-viewing advice and the practical device controls recommended by the guidance.
