Giovanna Fletcher backs screen time benefits for exam-season families
giovanna fletcher says parents should not assume screen time is all bad while families head into exam season, arguing that technology gives children benefits she did not have. The author and podcaster made the case as summer revision pressure rises for teenagers and younger children alike.
Family Chat and year-round screens
Fletcher, who is mum to three boys aged seven to 11, is taking part in The Family Chat campaign with Tesco Mobile in 2026. The campaign is designed to help families start open conversations about staying safe online, and its latest focus is the extra screen time and stress that come with exam season.
“I think, as parents, we’re maybe quick to think screen time is all bad, but actually there’s so much it gives our kids that we didn’t have,” she said. That is the point she keeps returning to: children are not only being entertained by devices, they are using them to work, revise and organise their time.
Year Three homework on a device
“My youngest is in Year Three and there’s a lot of homework done on a device, so they’re learning to do it at such a young age,” Fletcher said. She added, “When revision comes in, suddenly there’s a whole new thing demanding their time online.”
That shift is already visible in the example family featured alongside the campaign. Ellie, Ian and their four children — Lilia, 16, Evie, 14, Rafe, 12 and Audrey, nine — use smartphones as part of daily life, with Audrey not yet having one of her own. Lilia is sitting her GCSEs and has built routines around the pressure: she limits screen time to avoid interruptions, keeps group chats on silent while revising, and uses online quizzes before turning notes into flash cards.
Lilia’s GCSE revision routine
Ellie said the family also uses AI for maths questions they cannot solve, and she feeds Lilia’s answers into AI after a past paper to gauge what grade she might get if she completed the whole paper. That approach shows the practical edge of Fletcher’s argument: the same devices that can distract children are now embedded in homework, revision and feedback.
Tesco Mobile’s Top Tips for Supporting Children Around Exam Season adds a more disciplined option for households that want one: create a revision-only setup with a laptop rather than a phone, and look for signs of fatigue or stress. For families juggling revision and constant notifications, the sharper move is not to ban screens outright but to separate the device that helps from the one that distracts.
