London - Parents are being urged to ban tablet computers at bedtime because “addiction” to the gadgets is causing children to fall behind at school.
Teachers say a growing number of pupils turn up for lessons exhausted and irritable because they spend hours using their iPads or similar devices late into the night.
They warn children are increasingly showing symptoms of “tablet addiction”, including a loss of interest in other activities and lack of control over their actions.
Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers highlighted the problem at their annual conference in Manchester recently, and called on the union to produce guidance on helping affected pupils.
General secretary Dr Mary Bousted urged parents to confiscate the devices at bedtime, but acknowledged that their small size makes them easy to conceal.
“You say, ‘Turn your tablet off now, go to bed’ and two hours later you go up and under the duvet they are still playing the computer game,” she said.
“You can be playing on your computer game or on Facebook... for four or five hours rather than sleeping, which does leave you coming into school withdrawn.”
She added that too much screen time was increasingly leading to “sedentary” lives and “isolated children”. - Daily Mail