News | Thursday, 10th May 2018
Challenging assumptions: is screen time for children necessarily bad?
Dr Bex Lewis submits evidence to parliamentary inquiry
Adults need to challenge the impression that screen time is necessarily ‘bad’ for young people, according to parliamentary evidence from Dr Bex Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing.
Dr Lewis has shared her views and research in written evidence, which will be considered by a parliamentary inquiry into the impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health.
The research-backed evidence considers the health benefits of using technology while analysing the use of digital platforms as part of wider culture, challenging assumptions that it is not separate from ‘real life’.
Expert voice
Dr Lewis also analyses issues around age verification, fixed screen times for young people and the social benefits of online communities.
With the topic of screen time and ‘addiction’ growing over the past few years, Dr Lewis is an expert voice on the subject of children and the internet.
She is also the author of the book “Raising Children in Digital Age: Enjoying the Best, Avoiding the Worst”.
Her research covers an understanding of digital culture and the digital environment, identifying positive uses through digital literacy.
Impact on children’s mental and physical health
The Science and Technology Committee launched the inquiry into the impact of social media and screen-use on young people’s health in February 2018.
The inquiry will consider actions to broaden digital literacy education beyond safety messages and develop methods to inform parents on ways to support children to use social media in a positive way.
It will also look at improving teachers’ knowledge about the impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing and will address the call for social media companies to do more to address underage use.
