Young People’s Media Literacy

Baroness Barran Excerpts

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

I am grateful for that question. The scope of the review has been one of its real strengths and benefits, and we all look forward to its conclusions and recommendations. This is such a large question in terms of assessment and how skills are judged and taken forward for young people. We need to have a much more holistic approach, as the noble Lord suggests.

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness just finished with the words “holistic approach”, and the evidence of the impact of parental screen use on children is growing daily, whether that is on very young children, with delayed language development and social skills, or whether it is on teenagers accessing online materials. Without effective communication with parents about screen use, surely any school efforts are doomed to failure, or at least to be less successful. So what plans do the Government have for a public health campaign on this, directed at parents?

[Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)]

When I received the briefing for this, my first question was about parents—and, if I can express an interest, grandparents too. That is a very serious point, because so many young children are now looked after by their grandparents and older relatives. It is absolutely imperative that we address the issues, as the noble Baroness suggests. A report mentioned the number of children going to school who have never held a book, for example, and how we deal with that. On another point, in my experience a lot of schools are setting up parental groups to help schools navigate this difficult area. There is a strong recognition that, without parents’ engagement, helping to recognise the dangers and opportunities, we will not get as far as we need to.