RCPCH, with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, wrote to the Secretaries of State for Health and Science (Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP and Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP) on 15 January following an Academy hosted roundtable with clinicians giving personal testimony about the horrific cases they have treated in primary, secondary and community settings throughout the NHS and across most medical specialties.
The Academy has now announced plans to develop this work and host a series of sessions to gather evidence in a systematic way of the impact of tech and devices to the physical and mental health of children and young people. This follows a recent announcement from the Department for Education that, following a review led by former RCPCH President Professor Russell Viner, and Dame Rachel D'Souza, Children's Commissioner for England, will issue its first guidance on screen use for under-fives in England in April 2026.
What next
RCPCH will continue to monitor activity and advocate on behalf of our members and children as needed. We will continue actively working with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to ensure that protecting children from online harms remains a priority for the UK Government and devolved administrations.
Member resource
We have published a new webpage resource on screen times and online harms to brings together key resources to help inform conversations with families and guide clinical practice across the UK.