Generation will be lost to poor mental health without safeguards on tech – Cass

A generation of young people will be lost to poor mental health if safeguards on digital technology are not brought forward, a top paediatrician has warned.

Baroness Hilary Cass said the impact of smart devices on children’s sleep, attention span, and education is “not just a moral problem but an economic timebomb”.

The independent crossbencher called for teachers to receive dedicated training on the issue, in addition to education for parents, as peers debated the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Then-Dr Hilary Cass previously led a landmark review into gender services for young people, which found children had been let down by a lack of research and evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones.

Speaking during the Bill’s second reading debate on Thursday, she told the Lords: “Any legislation addressing the subject of safeguarding children, and opportunity, and safety in schools, cannot possibly ignore the impact of digital technology on the lives of children and young people.”

Lady Cass argued it’s not just “deliberate harm”, such as cyber bullying, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation and grooming that children are at risk of.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg, there are multiple other risks associated with digital technology that have been discussed in this House, including adverse affects of learning, attention, sleep, educational attainment and mental health.

“And addictive apps are particularly a problem, especially for boys,” she said.

Lady Cass continued: “This is not just an issue of whether we ban smartphones in schools, there’s a wide array of possible actions that can be part of a strategic, multi-faceted approach to the problem.

“For example, RSE (relationships and sex education) is compulsory in schools, and yet there is no requirement to teach young people how to manage the digital technology that occupies so many hours of their lives.

“Nor indeed to include appropriate training for the staff that are teaching our infants or older children.

“There’s insufficient consideration of the impact of loss of safe place spaces, which would give children alternative recreational activities to spending time on their digital devices.

“There’s no focus on providing education and advice to parents on how to manage access to technology so that they can facilitate their children’s learning and development.

“So I very much hope that the Government will be receptive to a range of amendments that will address these deficits in the Bill, and thus gift our children with a safer, healthier future.

“Without such measures we are looking at losing a generation to poor mental health and to even more young adults being unable to contribute to the workforce.

“So this is not just a moral problem, but an economic timebomb that we can ill afford.”