Inside child phone capital of UK, where 90% of kids have mobile as ‘babysitter’ & spend six hours a day on screens

MUMS spill out of cafes in a bustling city centre and chat happily while their toddlers are occupied in their buggies. But instead of toys or teddies to keep the children entertained, these youngsters have phones in their tiny hands — and their attention is fixed firmly on the screen in front of them. Leo, 5, is allowed one to two hours of screen time after finishing school Credit: Glen Minikin Newcastle has been dubbed the smartphone capital of the UK for kids Credit: Getty It’s a common sight here in ­Newcastle, where more children have phones than anywhere else in the UK — and where some mums tell us they see them as babysitters. In this city, 90.5 per cent of eight to 11-year-olds own one, compared with the national average of 61 per cent. Newcastle has been dubbed the smartphone capital of the UK for kids — and some experts are calling for better education for parents. Excessive screen time among children has been linked to developmental delay, poor social skills and obesity. Wrangling her three young kids to a bus stop, Jade Owen laughs: “It feels as though they were born with screens in their hands.” The 30-year-old mum says that phones and iPads are an integral part of her kids’ lives. Two of her children — autistic Lennox, ten, and Colby-Lee, six — rack up nine hours of screen time a day between them. Jade said: “Lennox must spend around six hours a day on screens and that’s OK with me because he’s happy and he’s occupied. “When I was his age I was outside playing with my friends most of the time, but apart from the telly there was nothing to stay in for. “I don’t think it’s safe for children to play out now — not where we live.” But Jade, from the city’s deprived Benwell suburb, insisted she has things under control. She said: “I know what Lennox is watching because his phone is linked to my phone. I know that the things he watches are decent and appropriate and I know he’s safe. “Colby-Lee is on screens for three hours and likes to spend time on Roblox (a gaming platform) talking to his friends. I keep a close eye on that as well.” There have been times when I’ve heard some swearing ­coming from his iPad and I’ve had to take it off him, admits Leo’s mum Jade Shields, 30 Credit: Glen Minikin Jade Owens’ kids Lennox, right, and Colby-Lee , left, rack up nine hours a day on their phones between them Credit: Glen Minikin As 18-month-old daughter Isla lay napping in her pushchair, Jade said with a laugh: “She does love to watch the telly. “Screens keep all three of them occupied so I can get things done around the house.” Excessive phone use among kids is an issue that the whole country will be more than familiar with. Despite recent Government guidelines that parents should avoid screen time for kids under two, new research conducted by children’s charity the 1001 Critical Days ­Foundation found two-thirds of kids in that age range regularly use devices with screens. And shockingly, one in ten babies now regularly fall asleep with a screen in their cot. The report found the jump in screen time led to reduced interaction between babies and adults which is “central” to the risks observed. These include increased chance of obesity and short-sightedness, sleep difficulties, behavioural difficulties, language delay and later challenges with friendships. It added the developmental risks associated with screen use appear partly related to screens “displacing caregiver talk, joint attention, peer play and hands-on exploration”. Archie gets to watch his favourite channels on a phone – but there’s a timer set for half an hour at a time Credit: Glen Minikin I don’t think kids should be left in front of a screen for hours at a time, but they are part of life now, says mum Lisa Credit: Glen Minikin Mum Jade Shields, 30, stops to chat as she walks her five-year-old son Leo Baiz home from school in ­Benwell. She said: “Leo comes in from school and has his tea, then he’s allowed an hour or two of screen time. He has another half hour before he goes to sleep. I make sure that I know what he’s watching. “There have been times when I’ve heard some swearing ­coming from his iPad and I’ve had to take it off him. I won’t let him watch anything inappropriate.” Abel Lowe, five, is a fan of family-friendly YouTuber Jason Vlogs, who has more than 25million subscribers. Abel’s mum Michelle, 34, has no problem with him watching safe content on devices. She said: “Abel gets an hour a day of screen time as long as he’s been good at school and at home. I use it as a reward for good behaviour. “I know what he’s watching and I can’t see anything harmful in that.”And Michelle, who has three other kids, thinks it’s unfair for children to miss out. She said: “We can’t expect them to see everyone else glued to their phones and not want to be part of that. You have to be realistic. If too much time on screens stops kids developing properly, there should be tighter controls on how old you have to be to have a phone. Abel’s mum Michelle, 34, has no problem with him watching safe content on devices Credit: Glen Minikin Michelle, who has three other kids, thinks it’s unfair for children to miss out Credit: Glen Minikin “I’m really careful with my kids but maybe the Government should be doing more to keep kids safe.” Lisa Frarey, 32, a singer-songwriter from Newcastle, is mum to Archie, four, and six-month-old Jack. Archie gets to watch his favourite channels — including educational platform ABCmouse — on the family’s devices under a strict regime. Lisa said: “We set a timer for half an hour at a time and when the timer goes off Archie knows that the screen has to go down. “I don’t see a problem with him watching things on Disney and Netflix for short spells of time as long as I know what he’s watching. “It gives me time to do what I need to do around the house and even to write some music, which is quite hard when you have two young kids. “I don’t think kids should be left in front of a screen for hours at a time, but they are part of life now.” Shanel Bruce, 33, is taking a break from her career in childcare while she brings up her first child. Aurora-Grace, who will be two next month, is allowed to use her mum’s phone. Screen time for Florence is usually the TV but we will give her a phone or a tablet if we’re going on a long journey, says mum Katie Wynn Credit: Glen Minikin Aurora-Grace, who will be two next month, is allowed to use her mum Shanel’s phone Credit: Glen Minikin Shanel said: “The only time I would give her my phone if we were out would be if we were in public and she had a meltdown through being over-tired. “In the past few weeks we have definitely entered the terrible twos and sometimes there’s no pleasing her. In that circumstance I give her my phone to watch something that will soothe her — like Agent Binky, Bluey or Hey Duggee — and distract her from whatever is bothering her. “But for the most part she loves her jigsaw puzzles and her toys. “As someone who works in childcare I know how important it is for them to develop, and too much time in front of screens can damage that.” Dame Andrea Leadsom, founder of 1001 Critical Days Foundation, worries about how damaging screen use can be for the youngest generation. She said: “The clear evidence into the impact of screen use on babies is shocking — from developmental delay and a worrying association between high levels of screen use and behaviours sometimes observed in autistic children, to evidence of damage to the developing optic nerve. All governments need to do much more to help parents increase their own knowledge and give their baby the best start in life.” At a playgroup in Westerhope, Newcastle, two-year-old Florence Beers is happily scooting around in a toy car. Her mum Katie Wynn, 37, said: “Screen time for Florence is usually the TV but we will give her a phone or a tablet if we’re going on a long journey, because sometimes you just need to distract them. “It is all about balance. My 11-year-old stepson likes to play Roblox a lot but he was five when the pandemic struck and young children at that time needed things to occupy them. “Too much screen time can be damaging. I was really shocked to read a report about the show CoCo- melon, which is for young children but over-stimulates them by changing the scene less than every six seconds. Shows like that are designed to make viewing addictive.” Rachel Vecht, founder of Educating Matters, which offers practical guidance on parenting, wants mums and dads to be aware of the impact of screen time on their children. She said: “Screens can’t adjust, mirror or respond in the way a human face does. All stimulus from the outside world adds to a baby’s neural network. “High exposure to screens in babies is linked to delayed language, ­disrupted sleep and ­difficulties with attention and emotional ­regulation.” Rachel added: “The fact that 85 per cent of parents in the 1001 Critical Days Foundation study say they had no guidance on screen time from health services is a systemic failure, not a parenting ­failure. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world with no training. It feels like there is so much conflicting guidance. “Allowing young children to use screens has been normalised because we see it around us all the time.” Dame Andrea believes it is time for change and parents must be better educated on phone use. She added: “The case for action has never been stronger. All governments need to do much more to help parents increase their own knowledge and give their baby the best start in life.”