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Mobile Phones: Children

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 29 January 2026UIN 106030

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data her Department holds on the average number of hours per day children spend on smart phones.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan

Research by the online safety regulator Ofcom found that children aged 8-14 average 3 hours a day online. Sport England report that more than 4 in 5 children participated in sporting activities each week.

On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.

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