Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential link between increases in digital communication methods and speech, language and communication needs in children.

We recognise that digital devices are now a part of most children’s lives, and that their impact on development, health, and behaviour is complex and not yet fully understood. Last month, the Government published advice on screen use for children aged zero to five years old, which is available at the following link:

https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s/

The Government has also launched the Children’s Digital Wellbeing consultation on measures to ensure children have healthy relationships with technology, mobile phones, and social media. The consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation

In addition, the Government will produce evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged five to 16 years old.

We continue to learn from ongoing studies including the Children of the 2020s longitudinal study, which is available at the following link:

https://children2020s.ipsos.com/