A WELLINGTON School is promoting digital detox as part of a new year drive encouraging students, staff and parents alike to cut down on their screen time.

Inspired by the recent Channel 4 documentary ‘Swiped – The school that banned smart phones’, Court Fields School is working hard to promote the benefits of cutting down on screen time to improve mental wellbeing.

‘Swiped’ saw hosts Matt and Emma Willis join forces with The Stanway School in Colchester. They challenged themselves and a group of Year 8 students to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days. The University of York monitored the children’s behavioural changes over that period, repeating the tests at the end of the three weeks to conclude what effects giving up your phone really has on the brain.

Court Fields has since decided to share an infographic with members of the school community, with facts and figures around screen time, such as the 52 per cent increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022, and tips for setting limits.

To further encourage a healthy balance, the school has created displays around the site promoting local clubs for children to join, the Duke of Edinburgh expedition, as well as a ‘Bookflix’ board with reading suggestions for each year group.

Headteacher Polly Matthews said: “The 'Swiped' programme on Channel 4 before Christmas gave some worrying facts around the amount of screen time that young people are clocking up daily, in some cases well over six hours a day, and it's vital that we address this.

“We'll be continuing our project over the coming months, and sharing more information with parents and carers, but in the meantime, I would encourage all parents and carers to support this work by helping their child to reduce their screen time by an hour a day.”