The Queen is right. Anything which gets children away from their phones should be a national priority. According to the National Literacy Trust, children's reading for pleasure has hit a 20-year low, with only one in three children aged eight to 18 reading in their spare time in 2025. This is a 36% decrease from 2005.
The average UK teen spends more than 4.5 hours a day online outside of school. That equates to more than 34 hours per week, nearly a full-time job. It is no wonder they have little time for reading. But it is not just about time. The pleasure we get from reading often cannot compete with the intense dopamine hit from social media and gaming.
Dopamine levels from the digital world can be double that of everyday experiences like singing along to our favourite song or a day out with our friends. It is no wonder children get angry when asked to put down their phones. They are like drug addicts chasing their next fix.
The harm from heavy smartphone use is well understood. Children who use their smartphones more than five hours per day are twice as likely to experience anxiety and three times as likely to become depressed.
And it's not just the impact on mental health, either. The latest research points to the disastrous impact on cognitive ability from consumption of short-form content and frequent interruptions. The attention economy has created a 'distracted generation'.
But the tide is turning. Parents increasingly recognise the benefits from delaying smartphones until children are through puberty. Schools are increasingly going smartphone free on school grounds, and not just at primary.
Many secondaries are going smartphone-free in Year 7 and rolling it up year after year. As more children receive their first smartphone well into their teens, let's hope there's more time for reading and the adventure it brings.
