Screen Time, Childhood, Mental Health and the Shift We’re All Seeing

Screen Time, Childhood, Mental Health and the Shift We’re All Seeing

A few years ago, giving a child a smartphone felt almost inevitable. Everyone else had one. They needed it for school. For safety. To fit in. It wasn’t really a decision so much as something that just… happened.

But lately, something has changed.

Parents are pausing. Schools are speaking up. Conversations that once felt awkward or over-protective are now happening openly - in playgrounds, WhatsApp groups, staff rooms and parent evenings. And they’re not quiet conversations anymore. They’re getting louder.

This isn’t about panic. It’s about concern.

Concern for sleep. For confidence. And, increasingly, for children’s mental health.

The Everyday Reality of Screens

For children today, screens aren’t just entertainment. They’re where friendships play out, where jokes land (or don’t), where fallings out happen, where reassurance is sought - and where comparison creeps in without anyone really noticing.

Many parents describe similar patterns. Children who struggle to switch off at night. Anxiety around friendships that follows them home. Emotional reactions that feel bigger than the situation in front of them. It’s rarely about one app or one bad experience. It’s the constantness of it - the group chats that never stop, the pressure to reply, the sense of always being available.

Research doesn’t say screens are the sole cause of mental health difficulties, and that matters. Childhood is complex. But there’s growing agreement that unlimited, unfiltered access - particularly to social media - can make anxiety, low mood and poor sleep harder to manage, especially during already vulnerable stages of development.

What’s changed is that this concern is no longer something parents feel quietly on their own.

Australia Led the Way - and the UK Is Close Behind

When Australia announced plans to ban under-16s from having social media accounts, it made headlines around the world. Not because it offered a perfect or simple solution - but because it marked a clear shift in thinking.

Australia was the first to say, openly and decisively, that social media platforms are designed to hold attention, and that expecting children to navigate that safely, largely on their own, may be asking too much. The conversation moved away from “parents just need better boundaries” and towards something bigger. Maybe this isn’t only a family issue. Maybe it’s a societal one.

That shift has travelled quickly.

Here in the United Kingdom, the momentum is building fast - and it’s being driven by both parents and schools who are seeing the impact of smartphones up close, every day.

Across the country, schools are tightening mobile phone policies. Many are moving to full bans throughout the school day - not just during lessons, but at breaktimes and lunchtimes too.

Teachers talk about calmer playgrounds, fewer fallouts, better focus and more face to face interaction. For some children, this is the first real break from notifications they’ve had in years.

Parents are pushing back too. Not from a place of judgement or regret, but from experience. Many are questioning whether giving young children unrestricted access to smartphones ever really sat comfortably - even if it felt unavoidable at the time.

In response, some schools are now actively encouraging families to delay smartphones altogether. Instead, they’re suggesting basic “brick phones” - devices that allow calls and texts, but remove apps, scrolling, social media and constant alerts.

This isn’t about cutting children off from the world. It’s about slowing things down.

Alongside this growing movement, the UK government is consulting on children’s relationship with smartphones and social media, including whether current age limits and safeguards are enough. Influenced by Australia’s lead, the conversation here is no longer hypothetical. It’s happening - and it’s getting louder.

What’s becoming clearer is that this is no longer being framed as a parenting failure or a school discipline problem. It’s increasingly recognised as a shared responsibility - between families, schools, platforms and policymakers - to create healthier boundaries for children growing up in a digital world.

Why Brick Phones Are Back

The idea of giving a child a phone without apps can sound extreme, until you see how it works in practice.

A brick phone still gives independence. A child can get home safely, message a parent, arrange plans. What it removes is the endless scrolling, the late night notifications, the quiet pressure to be “on” all the time.

For many families, it’s become a middle ground - connection without constant exposure.

And interestingly, once the initial “but everyone else has one” passes, many children adapt quickly. Some even seem relieved. They sleep better. Arguments ease. There’s less pressure to keep up with everything, all the time.

This Isn’t About Screens Being “Bad”

Screens aren’t the enemy. They can educate, connect and inspire, and many children use technology in creative and genuinely positive ways.

The issue is balance - and whether we’ve quietly accepted something as normal without stopping to ask if it’s actually helping.

What we’re seeing now feels like a recalibration. Parents trusting their instincts again. Schools prioritising wellbeing alongside learning. A growing willingness to say: maybe this doesn’t have to be the default after all.

At Grace Consulting, we work with schools and families to support children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing in real, practical ways - especially during times of change. As conversations around screen time, smartphones and social media continue to evolve, our focus remains the same: helping children feel understood, supported and included, whatever boundaries are put in place around them.