Speeches by Voaden.

“We will now move on to social media. What behaviours are being observed in children as a result of prolonged and potentially addictive screen use? How strong is the evidence linking these behaviours to a deterioration in mental health?”

“Are you noticing different outcomes between north-west London and Warwickshire? Are those directly related to the spend?”

“So we could potentially say that fewer children reach crisis point here than reach crisis point there, and that might be an indication.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

“I have a quick follow-up for Jo. You talked about girls and young women, but have you seen any evidence that other groups of children are more likely to experience negative or positive mental health effects from social media? Are there any particular groups that stand out?”

“Are you noticing different outcomes between north-west London and Warwickshire? Are those directly related to the spend?”

“We have heard that disadvantaged children might be more at risk of grooming or effects like that from being on their phones. Is that something you have come across?”

“A constituent wrote to me as he was deeply concerned that the British public had been misled about the UK’s involvement in the US conflict with Iran. His sister lives next to RAF Fairford and reported 24/7 use of the base by US bomber flights in May after the ceasefire. Residents were experiencing constant aircraft mov…”

“Research by the Sutton Trust suggests that the poorest families derive almost no direct benefit from the new childcare entitlements. In your view, are there particular groups of children or families who are not accessing or benefiting from the new entitlement scheme?”

“Sarah, how have the staff-to-child ratio changes introduced in September 2023 affected the quality of care? How do you think these changes have been experienced by parents?”

“You have already touched on this a little, Justine, but I wondered if you could expand on how you think current workforce challenges in the early years sector are affecting parents’ experience and perception of childcare provision?”

“In that system where formal school starts at seven, they are all in childcare from about the age of one. We saw that they were all in it by 18 months; they were all there. Rachel, anything to add on that?”

“So maybe start at four but have a different introduction into—”

“Rachel and Justine, do you have thoughts to add on barriers to school readiness?”

“Do you think four is too young?”

“We went to Estonia last year and had a look at kindergartens there. They start formal school at age seven and spend a lot of time before that making sure children learn to regulate their emotions and socialise so that they are ready to go into formal learning. What social and systemic barriers do you think most hinder …”

“I asked a question about addictiveness in the Chamber yesterday; all of us are on the same page.”

“We all are.”

“You skipped ahead and saw my next question. There has obviously been a lot of talk about screen time. In a recent survey, both teachers and parents have listed parents spending more time on electronic devices than with children as one of the key reasons why children are not school ready. We have talked a lot about how …”

“I would like to talk to you about school readiness. What role do you think parents should play in ensuring children are school ready by the end of reception, or going into reception? What support, resources or interventions do you think are needed to help them do so?”