More than 70 Scottish doctors back NHS report warning over school ipad use

The doctors from multiple specialties across Scotland have signed a statement supporting a report issued by the NHS Borders Director of Public Health, Dr Soheil Bhatti.

The report by Dr Bhatti warned that the local authority’s policy of providing one-to-one iPads to children as young as seven, with access to the internet and online games, risked exacerbating the existing known health issues associated with excessive screen use by children.

In common with a number of councils including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Fife, school children in the Scottish Borders are given iPads by the council, for sole personal use, to use in school and to take home at night and weekends. In all areas, the devices are issued with no technical screen time limits or explicit maximum screen time guidance for schools or parents.

It is estimated that over 217,000 children in Scotland now have one-to-one council issued iPads or Chromebooks, some from as young as five years old, after it became a Scottish government pledge to give every child a personal tablet or laptop in 2021.

Harry Amies - cofounder of Unplug.Scot, a network of parents, teachers and healthcare professionals across Scotland who are concerned about the impact of screens and educational technology in classrooms, said: “There is genuine fear amongst some public health professionals of highlighting the risk of harm to children from excessive use of these devices.”

He said there is “often strong push back from councils”, who try to “downplay the evidence of physical and developmental harm to children associated with these devices” and called for the government to draw up national guidance with clear time-based screentime limits for children up to 16.

He said: “Councils obviously don't want negative stories about 1-to-1 devices. They have not only sunk tens of millions of pounds into these programmes, but worse, some are locked into multi year finance schemes with companies such as Apple. These contracts can be very hard to get out of.”

Dr Bhatti said in the report that increased screen time pushes out “other activities that can helpfully regulate emotional and physical health”, pointing to a recent study which showed UK children average over six hours of screen time daily.

He said excessive screen time can cause eye strain, headaches and blurred vision and is “strongly linked” to the rising prevalence of myopia in children and young people.

He said: “Schools, therefore, have a vital role in modelling balanced digital use, embracing the benefits of technology for learning while also safeguarding space for play, creativity, critical thinking and physical activity.

“The introduction of iPads for all pupils in the Borders from Primary 4 is an area for concern. The provision of iPads allows children to access the internet and online games, not just homework tools. This policy has the potential to increase the screen time use of children and we must consider if there are alternatives.”

Dr Leila Morris, a GP in NHS Lothian, is among those who have signed the letter.

She said: “No drug, food product, or toy is given to children without a single safety check. Yet EdTech devices and platforms currently used by hundreds of thousands of Scottish pupils in schools every day of the week face no equivalent child-focused health scrutiny.

“There is now substantial and robust evidence that repetitive and excessive screen use harms children's health.”