View from the AOP: Step away from the screen

Earlier this month, the Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, warned parents that children are overusing social media and consuming time online ‘like junk food’.

Ms Longfield recommended that parents intervene to prevent their children ‘binging’ on screen use, and criticised the tactics employed by social media giants to draw children into spending more time on their platforms.

Announcing a ‘digital five-a-day’ campaign, the Children’s Commissioner encouraged a healthy online diet. It advises parents to help children use their internet time productively – to learn new skills, interact with friends and be creative instead of switching off Wi-Fi entirely.

The campaign follows recent findings, from Ofcom, which confirms children are spending increasingly longer periods online. In 2016, internet use overtook television as the top media pastime for children.