The Princess of Wales touched a few nerves this week when she warned that smartphones and computer screens were creating “an epidemic of disconnection” within families.
In an essay co-authored by a Harvard professor, Kate wrote: “We’re raising a generation that may be more ‘connected’ than any in history while simultaneously being more isolated, more lonely, and less equipped to form the warm, meaningful relationships that research tells us are the foundation of a healthy life.”
Her words caused ripples on social media, with parents arguing about whether screentime – the amount of time spent using screen-based technology daily – is actually harmful for children.
But what does the science say?
Is screentime actually harmful for children?
Evidence on whether screentime is actually harmful for children is inconsistent, with researchers showing that while screentime and its alleged negative impacts on children could be related, there is no undisputable evidence that it causes them.
Concerns have centred around findings that the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people has declined in recent years with NHS Digital data showing that 18% of those aged 7 to 16 years had a probable mental health disorder in 2022 compared with 9.7% in 1999, the Education Committee reported in May 2024.
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Debate has been widespread as to the causes of this, with social media and smartphone use being one of the drivers, according to a 2025 University of Manchester study.
As the debate as raged, several MPs have said a ban on smartphones for under-16s should be considered.
The Education Committee’s report on the impact of screentime on the education and well-being of children pointed to evidence that smartphones and computers disrupt pupils’ learning both at home and in the classroom.
It also highlighted research suggesting that children who were exposed to longer than two hours a day of recreational screen time on smartphones and playing video games had worse working memory, processing speed, attention levels, language skills and executive function compared with those who did not.
The committee urged the government to advise parents of babies that they should give sufficient attention to face-to-face interaction – a key element of linguistic and social development – and warn of the risks of screen time in reducing opportunities for this.
In its conclusion, it said: “For children and adolescents alike, the rapid rise of the use of screens and devices has come at a substantial cost and Government needs to do more across departments to protect them from addiction, online harms and the mental health impacts of extensive use of devices.”
The committee’s warning on babies was supported by Carlota Nelson, writer and director of Brain Matters, who wrote for Unicef’s parenting site: “Research has shown that screentime inhibits young children’s ability to read faces and learn social skills, two key factors needed to develop empathy.”
“Face-to-face interactions are the only way young children learn to understand non-verbal cues and interpret them. Exposure to screens reduces babies’ ability to read human emotion and control their frustration,” she wrote.
“It also detracts from activities that help boost their brain power, like play and interacting with other children.”
The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) said in a report in 2020 – before the COVID pandemic and platforms like TikTok became as popular as they are now – that screentime exposes children and young people to potentially distressing content, bullying, gambling, and other issues.
It said that while evidence for causal links was still developing, there was evidence to suggest that digital technology can affect weight, mood, thoughts of suicide and self-harm and body image.
‘No evidence for harm’ – but potential benefits?
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) found little evidence to suggest that spending more time on social media was associated with more mental health problems in young people, the Education Committee said in its report.
Equally, another study involving various researchers, including some from the University of Oxford, found no evidence to show that screentime impacted children’s brain function or well-being.
Nearly 12,000 children in the US were analysed in the 2023 study, and even with participants who had high rates of digital engagement, there was no evidence of impaired functioning in the brain development of the children.
Jack Miller, the first author who analysed the data as part of his thesis at the Oxford Internet Institute, said: “If screen time had an impact on brain development and well-being, we expected to see a variety of cognitive and well-being outcomes that this comprehensive, representative research did not show.”
According to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), screentime can be beneficial for children by helping them create communities online and sustain friendships through social media or online gaming.
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Screentime was also credited with a reduction in feelings of loneliness in some children.
Despite several studies being carried out, there is as yet no definitive answer on whether screentime harms children. The government says it encourages and supports further research in this area.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology announced a feasibility study on methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children’s wellbeing in November last year.
The central question of the research, carried out by the University of Cambridge, is which methods would be most effective in determining the causal effects of social media and smartphones on children’s (3-21 years) developmental outcomes in the next 2-3 years.
How much screentime is okay?
The Education Committee suggests that screentime should be minimal for younger children and better balanced with face-to-face socialisation and physical activity for older ones.
The government said in response to the committee’s report that screentime needed to be proportionate and shouldn’t displace opportunities for children to socialise face-to-face and take part in physical activities.
Babies less than a year old shouldn’t spend any time on screens at all, while one-year-olds should not have any sedentary screentime, which includes watching TV or videos and playing computer games, according to WHO guidelines.
The organisation recommends that children aged two should not spend more than one hour with sedentary screentime per day.
The NHS advises no more than two hours a day in front of a screen, even for older children.
