‘Parents need guidance on screen time, not lectures or bans’

This year my daughter started secondary school and, like so many parents, my wife and I bowed to the pressure to get her a phone. We worried about her starting a new school as the odd one out. Every parent knows that feeling, when your better judgement collides with the instinct to help your child fit in, to be part of the crowd, to do what their friends are doing. 

Parents need help in the modern world, a world that comes with challenges no previous generation has had to face. This is where government needs to step up. 

That is why I welcome the news that parents of under fives in England will be offered support and guidance on screen time. For too long, families have been left to fight modern parenting battles without clear, trusted advice. Screens are now part of everyday life, whether we like it or not. Pretending otherwise, or offering judgement instead of support, simply does not work. 

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Most parents I speak to in Hartlepool are not asking for perfection. They are asking for reassurance, for clarity, and for help understanding what healthy habits look like in a digital age. How much screen time is too much? When does a tablet become a problem? How do you balance work, childcare, and family life without feeling like you are failing your child? 

Until now, many parents have been left to answer these questions alone, relying on social media, dubious influencers, conflicting headlines, or sheer guesswork. That is not fair on families, and it is not good enough for our children. 

Backing parents

This Labour government understands that supporting families means offering practical, evidence based solutions, not tough talk or quick headlines. That is why we are the party of families, and why this guidance matters. It builds on a proud Labour tradition –from Sure Start to today’s Best Start in Life strategy – of stepping in early and giving parents the tools they need to help their children thrive. 

The evidence is clear – early support works. 

Parenting programmes that provide clear and practical guidance improve children’s development, strengthen family relationships, and reduce pressure on public services later on. Programmes such as Incredible Years and Triple P show that when parents are supported, outcomes improve not just for individual families, but for society as a whole. This is not about telling parents how to raise their children. It is about backing them with trusted advice rooted in evidence. 

A moral and economic imperative

Research by the Centre for Mental Health shows that every pound invested in evidence-based parenting programmes delivers at least three pounds in savings across social care, health, and education within five years. In Australia, the government launched a digital rollout of the positive parenting programme Triple P to reduce stigma and widen access to support. A Deloitte study found this delivered a seven to one return on investment after four years, and a twenty to one return after twenty years. That is what serious, preventative policy looks like. 

Investing in our children is not just a moral imperative. It is an economic one. Every pound spent giving children the best possible start delivers returns in health, education, and productivity that last a lifetime. Interventions like this will help deliver school readiness targets, but they also support children well into adulthood, laying the foundations for a healthy relationship with social media and technology. By supporting families from the very beginning, we can build foundations that truly last. 

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However, it would be foolish to pretend that simply because a political opponent proposes something, it must automatically be wrong. You can argue that the Conservative proposal to ban social media for under 16s is an attempt to grab headlines and sound tough. Their appalling track record on supporting children and young people suggests emphatically that it is. 

So, that may be their motivation, but it does not make the principle wrong, and it was my view long before they said it. Charities and teachers’ unions back a ban too. Crucially, it helps parents by removing the pressure to balance their better judgement against the peer pressure their child faces. I support a ban and urge Labour to adopt the policy. 

We should be clear though. A ban on social media may reduce online harms, but it does nothing to address the wider question of screen time, or to help children and parents develop a healthy relationship with technology more broadly. 

We need to start earlier and think smarter. Encouraging healthy habits from the very beginning is far more effective than trying to shut the door later on. Teaching balance, setting boundaries, and helping parents feel confident in doing so is how we build long term resilience.

Letting parents know they’re not alone

Labour’s Best Start in Life agenda recognises that the earliest years shape everything that comes after. It is about meeting families where they are, understanding the pressures they face, and offering support grounded in evidence, not ideology. 

Offering clear, official guidance on screen time is a small but significant step in that direction. It sends a simple message to parents that they are not alone, and that help is there when they need it. That is what a government that truly supports families looks like. 

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Parenting will always be our biggest job, and our toughest one. That is why Labour is offering answers to the real challenges facing mums and dads. We are investing early, backing parents with evidence based support, and focusing on prevention. That is how we give children the best possible start in life, and why Labour is once again proving itself to be the party of families.

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