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Healthy Heart Tip: How to have a healthier barbecue

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: How to have a healthier barbecue

Enjoying the sun with your friends and family can often mean overindulging on barbecue foods that are high in salt and saturated fats.

This will increase both your blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, putting an increased strain on your heart and arteries.

Choosing healthier food options means that you can continue to enjoy the barbecue season without having to worry about your heart health. On average people in the UK have over 10 barbecue’s a year, this gives you plenty of time to experiment with new foods and flavours whilst still meeting your health goals.

National barbecue week is running from 27th May to 2nd June, so here are some tips to help you have a healthier barbecue.

Add fruit and vegetables

By adding fruit and vegetables to your barbeque spread, you’re increasing the amount of fibre you’re eating. This will help to lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and your blood pressure, as well as helping you to reach your five a day.

You could make a vibrant mixed salad to have on the side, or add mushrooms, courgettes, tomatoes, onions and peppers to a skewer and pop it on the grill. These are simple ways you can add more vegetables to your barbecue.

For a tasty dessert, you could add fruit such as pineapple to the grill. It gives it a delicious, caramelised flavour, which is great served with fat-free frozen yoghurt.

Add wholegrains

Why not add wholegrain bread or pitta breads as options for your barbecue? These are full of fibre and great for your cholesterol and blood pressure. You could pop your breads onto the grill for a crunchier texture and to add some more flavour.

You could also mix wholegrain couscous with dried fruit, nuts, vegetables, or herbs and spices for a tasty and healthy fibre-rich side dish.

Choose a healthier protein source

Often at barbecue’s meats that are high in saturated fats are used such as beef burgers or sausages. Saturated fat increases your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and can be detrimental to your heart health.

Choose leaner protein sources such as chicken breasts or tofu, or if you’re wanting to stick to a more traditional style barbecue then why not choose turkey burgers or chicken sausages. These contain less saturated fat and are better for your heart, however, make sure you check the food labels as some of these may be high in salt.

Why not add some fish to your barbecue? Salmon tastes great when it’s put on the grill with some lemon and it’s full of omega-3 fatty acids, which helps to keep your cholesterol levels healthy.

Choose lower salt & sugar sauces and dips.

When thinking about what sauces and dips you want to compliment your barbecue dishes, make sure you take into consideration their salt and sugar content.

Many ready-made sauces and dips have added salt and sugar so make sure you pick the reduced salt and sugar versions with green traffic light food labels. Alternatively, you could make your own using fat-free Greek or natural yoghurt mixed with herbs and spices.

Watch your portion sizes

It is easy to overindulge at a barbecue, especially if it is spread out over the course of a day or evening. Try and be mindful about how much you are eating and recognise when you’re feeling full. If you are grazing throughout the day or evening then try to eat small amounts at a time, rather than having several platefuls.

If you are having one plateful then try to have a quarter of your plate full of lean protein, another quarter of wholegrain carbohydrates and the remaining half full of veggies.

Young ‘bravehearts’ inspire Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad

The Scotland Euro 2024 Men’s Squad surprised patients at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), Glasgow this afternoon with an unexpected meet and greet, ahead of jetting off to Germany next week.

There were squeals of excitement and joy throughout the hospital as Captain, Andrew Robertson, led the team of Scotland’s best male footballers and coaches to visit patients and their families on the wards.

The UEFA Euro 2024 tournament kicks off on Friday 14^th June, with Scotland playing Germany in the tournament’s opening match. Having noted the incredible work of the RHC staff and the care that they provide for children from across the country, the squad visited to give thanks to the hospital – and, of course, to drum up excitement among their youngest supporters.

Scotland Team Captain, Andy Robertson said: “It was a privilege for us to visit the Royal Hospital for Children and see the dedicated work of the staff up close.

“We have a squad of players from different backgrounds, at different ages and stages, but the vast majority will have a personal story to tell about loved ones who have benefited from the care and expertise on offer from RHC or somewhere similar.

“It was impossible not to be moved by the kids we met, especially as the father of young children myself. They’re all facing into their own difficult, varied challenges but, in every case, their resilience shines through and it’s reassuring to know they’re being looked after as well as they are by hospital staff, and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, who are doing everything they can for them.

“We are not short on motivation for the Euros, but it meant a lot to hear how excited they all are to watch the games and follow our progress. They won’t be far from our thoughts when we’re in Germany.”

The RHC and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity work hard throughout the year to bring experiences to patients and their families that extend ‘further than the medicine’ – including visits like these.

Mandy Meechan, Chief Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow explained: “We can’t believe how lucky we have been to have the Scotland team visit us today.

“We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the smiles they created today, and we hope they take that energy and have great success in Germany. We pride ourselves on our person-centred care, and this visit has inspired hope, strength and tenacity in the kids and their families. It was just what we all needed”.

Kirsteen Watson from Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity added: “We are so grateful to the squad for visiting the children’s hospital today.

“The children felt like VIPs when they realised that the players had taken time away from the training pitch to pay them a special visit, and many have made memories that will last a lifetime.

“There was a sense of unity, hope and positivity during the visit, which can truly transform the hospital experience for children and young people. I’d like to thank our donors and volunteers who help to create moments like this all year round by supporting our hospital play programme.”

New restrictions on puberty blockers

The UK Government has introduced regulations to restrict the prescribing and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones, known as ‘puberty blockers’, to children and young people under 18 in England, Wales and Scotland.

The emergency ban will last from 3 June to 3 September. It will apply to prescriptions written by UK private prescribers and prescribers registered in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

During this period no new patients under 18 will be prescribed these medicines for the purposes of puberty suppression in those experiencing gender dysphoria/incongruence under the care of these prescribers.

The NHS stopped the routine prescription of puberty blocker treatments to under-18s following the Dr Cass Review into gender identity services.

In addition, the government has also introduced indefinite restrictions to the prescribing of these medicines within NHS primary care in England, in line with NHS guidelines.

The new arrangements apply to gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues – medicines that consist of, or contain, buserelin, gonadorelin, goserelin, leuprorelin acetate, nafarelin, or triptorelin.

This action has been taken to address risks to patient safety.

Patients already established on these medicines by a UK prescriber for these purposes can continue to access them. They will also remain available for patients receiving the drugs for other uses, from a UK-registered prescriber.

Patients seeking more information should speak to their clinician.

Improving the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes

Increased access to Diabetes technologies

Access to technologies which will transform the lives of those living with Type 1 Diabetes is set to be expanded, the Scottish Government has announced.

Up to £8.8 million will be used to rollout of loop systems this year to support all children living with Type 1 Diabetes access Closed Loop System technology and increase the provision of these life changing technologies for adults with this condition.

A closed loop system uses a glucose sensor linked to an insulin pump to automatically calculate how much insulin should be delivered – removing the burden of people needing to calculate their insulin dosage and take injections.

A national team will enable training, education and support to be given remotely from health professionals, including Diabetes specialist nurses and dietitians, as well as peer support from others living with diabetes.

Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray spoke to staff at the new Usher Institute building at Edinburgh University.

During his speech he outlined his vision for how technology and innovation can help make the NHS more sustainable in the future.

Mr Gray said: “Closed loop systems are an incredible asset for those living with Type 1 Diabetes. It not only improves sugar control and reduces the risk of long term complications, but also removes a lot of the burden that people living with type 1 Diabetes face on a day to day basis.

“The use of this technology can make it much easier for people to manage their Diabetes, greatly reducing the risk of the health complications that can be associated with the condition.

“This is an example of the kind of innovation that can help transform healthcare, equipping the NHS to meet the challenges it currently faces. It will also greatly improve the lives of people living with Diabetes, particularly children and their parents.”

Type 1 Diabetes is a lifelong condition which affects over 35,000 people in Scotland and around 3,340 children.

Udderly Amazing: Tracey no longer carries weight of the world on her shoulders

Being active is one of the Five Steps to Wellbeing that form the cornerstones of Farmstrong Scotland. We meet a dairy industry stalwart who has lifted her way to a glass (of milk, of course) half full outlook on life …

Tracey Roan is in many ways a modern multi-tasking farmer. By day she holds down a demanding job as NFU Scotland Dairy Policy Manager, coming home at night to feed both her calves and her family.

It is her hobby of weightlifting that sets Tracey apart; something she discovered she had a talent for completely by accident when she ventured – full of trepidation – down to the local gym.

“I hated PE at school and have never liked sport,” recalls Tracey, who many will remember from when her family’s Roan’s Dairy in Dumfries and Galloway featured on This Farming Life. The television series charted the ups and downs of farming life for Tracey and her husband Steven, brother-in-law Stuart and his wife Aylett along with both couples’ then young children.

“I was turning 40, had put on a bit of weight and felt sluggish. Diagnosed with an underactive thyroid and – with some health issues in the family such as diabetes and high blood pressure – I decided to try the gym to shift a bit of mum tum.”

As well as the usual running machine and exercise bike, staff at the gym introduced Tracey to weights, explaining that working on strength is good for female bone health, helping in the fight against conditions in later life such as osteoporosis.

“It was really quite funny – and I put it down to a lifetime carrying buckets of milk, chucking tyres on the silage pit and so-on – but I naturally found the weights easy,” recalls Tracey.

“I just expected to be doing half an hour of traditional aerobic exercise but have inadvertently found something I love doing among a really friendly and supportive community I would never have met in my normal life.

“It’s also a bonus that when I look around the gym, or at weightlifting competitions, everybody is drinking milk and eating protein yoghurts. The fitness community are definitely supporters of the dairy industry!”

That first visit to the gym was back in the autumn of 2022 and Tracey, who is now 42 and mother to Andrew, 15, and 13 year-old Lucy, remembers turning up wearing an old t-shirt for her first weightlifting competition.

“There were all these cool outfits, but everybody was really friendly and I came third in this first strong woman competition, with the deadlifting – using the legs – my strongest event, lifting 135kg for 11 reps in 60 seconds,” recalls Tracey.

“I’m never going to be Scotland’s strongest woman, but I enjoy going to competitions as it gives me a goal to train for. I still go down to the gym at least twice a week, it helps clear my head and I feel so much better for it.”

Tracey heard New Zealand farmer Marc Gascoigne speak about Farmstrong at the NFU Scotland Conference last year and “totally related” to all that he was saying.

“Dairy farming is a seven-day-a-week way of life and with calving all year round it’s difficult to take any time off,” says Tracey.

“The Farmstrong message that to farm well you need to live well is absolutely true. Even now, I still feel guilty for taking some time away, but the difference is I now realise you cannot be productive if you aren’t looking after yourself.”

Not only does Tracey have plenty on her plate at home on the farm, but her job which also includes responsibility for the Government-funded Scottish Dairy Hub, a signposting service for the dairy sector, can leave her “living and breathing farming and all its problems.”

“Going to the gym definitely helps clear my head,” explains Tracey. “I love my job, but before the weightlifting I was feeling drained and unmotivated. The thing is, it’s so hard not to get emotionally involved as I typically speak to other farmers when they are having a tough time.

“Clearing my head through exercising has helped me realise that I can’t wave a magic wand – I wish I could – when it comes to big issues like milk prices.

“Lifting the weights and taking some time out – away from the farm and away from work – helps me think things through much clearer, which has to be a good thing for everybody.”

Another area that Tracey feels has helped her overall wellbeing is the body positivity aspect of weightlifting.

“I was the chubby kid at school whose PE report always said, ‘could do better’ and it’s taken me 40 years to realise that there is no such thing as a perfect body,” explains Tracey.

“My aim when I first went to the gym was to lose a bit of weight and feel fitter, not so out of breath, when doing jobs on the farm. Looking back, I have got so much more out of it than that. The gym and the weightlifting world are full of people of all different shapes and sizes; it has shown me you certainly don’t have to be thin to be fit and healthy.

“Especially with social media, it’s so easy to always be comparing ourselves to others and I have learnt you shouldn’t judge others – or more importantly yourself – on looks.

“I definitely plan to take my children down to the gym, so they can learn that body positivity and the importance of looking after themselves. I also think it’s very healthy when you live on a farm – or any rural place – to push yourself out of your comfort zone and meet people who are from a different walk of life to those you normally mix with.”

Tracey’s three favourite events are deadlifting using her legs, with a personal best of 180kg and aiming to lift 200kg this year, and the appropriately named Farmers’ Walk, carrying around 75kilos in each hand for a distance of 40 metres.

“It must have something to do with all the buckets of cattle cake I’ve carried over the years,” smiles Tracey, whose other speciality event is yoke carrying – a weight of around 150 kilos carried across her shoulders.

And what does Steven, who milks 240 pedigree Holstein cows just outside Dalbeattie, make of his wife’s weightlifting?

“Just the other day they had a cow that was struggling to get up, Steven proudly told everybody ‘Not to worry, Tracey will be able to help her’…”

Trio & Tested: Three simple steps that helped set Tracey Roan on the path to better wellbeing:

There is no such thing as the perfect body; stop comparing yourself to others. “If you spend your life trying to be everybody’s cup of tea, you’ll just end up being a mug,” says Tracey.
Taking some time for yourself isn’t selfish; to be productive you have to look after yourself.
Meeting people from outside your usual friendship and family circles is good, widening your outlook and understanding of other people’s lives.

Experts meet to discuss recommendations to improve brain tumour diagnosis in Scotland

Eight key areas to improve brain tumour diagnosis have been identified in Scotland following a roundtable discussion with healthcare experts.

The Brain Tumour Charity and Dxcover Ltd. facilitated a discussion with GPs, NHS representatives, researchers, the co-convenor of the Cross Party Group on Cancer and representatives from the Chief Scientist’s Office, to improve diagnosis for people with a suspected brain tumour.

Each year, more than 1000 people in Scotland are diagnosed with a brain or central nervous system tumour (1), leading to urgent calls to prioritise better care and improve pathways to a faster diagnosis.

Following the discussion with the panel of experts in February 2024 and further research, a report was produced in partnership with The Brain Tumour Charity and Dxcover which identified eight key areas as having the most potential for improving brain tumour diagnosis.

They include ensuring that patients are monitored throughout their diagnosis until symptoms are explained or resolved, enabling optometrists to refer directly to neurology if a person presents with concerning visual symptoms and prioritising innovation to improve diagnosis of brain tumour.

12 recommendations have now been made to NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government about the changes required to ensure diagnosis pathways are effective.

The recommendations include providing guidelines to improve care and raise awareness of brain tumours, allowing opticians to refer directly to neurology and establishing a diagnostic/triage tool that would help diagnose people faster (2).

The roundtable also started a discussion on where a diagnostic tool would be most suitable in healthcare pathways. Dxcover Ltd is a Glasgow based company developing diagnostic tools for brain tumours and has developed a liquid biopsy test with artificial intelligence that could be used in the brain tumour diagnosis pathway.

The Brain Tumour Charity and Dxcover will continue to work with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that people with a suspected brain tumour are prioritised and that the pathway to diagnosis is improved for patient benefit.

Cameron Miller, Director of External Affairs and Strategy at The Brain Tumour Charity said: “The recommendations we are suggesting to improve the brain tumour diagnosis pathway in Scotland are based on a fruitful and impactful discussion The Brain Tumour Charity and Dxcover initiated with Scottish healthcare professionals and policymakers.

“These are stepping stones to improving diagnosis for people living in Scotland and we are committed to ensuring that people facing a brain tumour diagnosis have the support they need to ensure they are diagnosed faster and have the quickest access to the best treatments available.”

Prof. Matthew J. Baker, CEO of Dxcover said: “Dxcover was founded to enable the earliest detection of cancer. We believe that the combination of Dxcover’s multi-omic spectral analysis and machine learning will lead to the greatest impact on patient recovery, lifespan and quality of life post-diagnosis.

“We have recently launched our EMBRACE study, a pan-Europe 2,200 patient performance evaluation of the Dxcover® Brain Cancer Liquid Biopsy which will enable CE marking and provide a much-needed tool for patients.”

Pop up shop gives food for thought on Type 1 diabetes

Rachel’s personal journey leads to educational Degree Show project

A pop-up shop being showcased as part of Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show is providing food for thought to attendees as it aims to debunk the myths and stigma surrounding type 1 diabetes.

“Food for Thought” has been created by Edinburgh Napier fourth year graphic design student Rachel Cartledge.

The speculative shop is stocked with fun, eye-catching products that aim to address specific issues relating to type 1 diabetes, including some of the misunderstanding around diagnosis, hypos, carb counting and more.

Cereals called ‘Dia-wheaties’ and ‘Hypos’ bury some of the myths around the condition alongside providing information on what to do if a diabetic is experiencing low sugar levels.

‘In A Pickle’ jars provide information on what you can do to help someone with type 1 diabetes and drink cans called ‘Shots’ share more on type 1 diabetes and drinking alcohol.

‘Myth Milk’ again looks into some of the different myths around type 1 diabetes and tins called ‘Can you carb count’ provide knowledge on the importance of weighing out portions of food – something that is vital when using insulin.

Rachel – who is 22 years-old and from Edinburgh – was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was just four years old.

The project, and its items, have been created as a direct response to some of the misconceptions and stigma that Rachel has experienced being a type 1 diabetic throughout her life so far.

Rachel said: “I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was 4. As I grew up, and as I started to understand more about the condition myself, it became obvious that there wasn’t a great deal of information out there that gave people knowledge on what type 1 diabetes is and its causes and symptoms.

“People kept on telling me that I had it because I ate too much sugar, which simply isn’t true. I remember visiting the hospital and the diabetes posters were quite extreme. People don’t realise that type 1 is vastly different from type 2 diabetes.

“Type 1 is an auto-immune condition. There is no way of preventing it and it can happen to anyone.

“This led me to creating Food for Thought. I wanted to catch people’s attention and use design to express how I feel about the stigma and misinformation surrounding the condition. Creating it has been a bit like therapy – but it has been a lot of fun too.

“I’m in a lucky position that I’ve grown up with it. I’ve had a supportive family and friend network around me, and I’ve adapted my lifestyle – it hasn’t stopped me from doing anything that I’ve wanted to do. However, if you were in your mid 20s and got diagnosed with it tomorrow, I’m not sure the resources would be there to help you understand the condition and how to live with it. That’s been a key driver behind the whole project.”

Alongside exhibiting at Edinburgh Napier’s Degree Show, Rachel’s Food for Thought project has also been in display at a recent diabetes discovery day organised by the JDRF charity in Aberdeen.

If you would like to see Rachel’s project, and others from the University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries, the Edinburgh Napier Degree Show runs from 24 – 30 May at Merchiston campus.

More information on the show can be found here.

Health Charity urges Edinburgh’s youth groups to join campaign

CALL FOR END TO VAPES MARKETING TARGETING YOUNG PEOPLE

ASH Scotland is marking World No Tobacco Day by urging youth groups in Edinburgh to join the health charity’s campaign calling for the end of vapes advertising and marketing being targeted at children and young people.

‘Protecting young people from tobacco industry interference’ has been chosen by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the theme for this year’s campaign.

ASH Scotland is aiming to amplify the voices of youth groups and youngsters who want to stop the marketing of sweet flavoured, brightly coloured vapes and their promotion by organisations funded by tobacco firms targeting young people.

The charity believes concerns by the next generation of voters about marketing luring young people to start using and becoming addicted to health harming vapes should be heard loud and clear by all candidates in the General Election.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “In supporting WHO’s World No Tobacco Day 2024 campaign in Scotland, we are keen to hear from children’s and youth groups in Edinburgh who want to speak out about predatory tobacco industry marketing tactics promoting vapes and creating a new wave of addiction.

“For decades, tobacco industry promotions lured young people into starting to use their addictive and harmful products and, in recent years, the same is now happening with vapes.

“Vapes contain high levels of nicotine, which is very addictive, as well as toxic chemicals that have not been safety tested for breathing in and can damage lungs over time.

“We want to support young people in Edinburgh to raise their concerns about vape marketing that is targeted at them and their friends, and there is no better opportunity than during the General Election campaign!”

For information about ASH Scotland’s World No Tobacco Day campaign, visit: www.ashscotland.org.uk/WNTD.

Youth clubs interested in joining the charity’s campaign can email:

comms@ashscotland.org.uk.

Technology to help cut Scotland’s waiting lists

Software to reduce hospital waiting times and enhance operating theatre efficiency will be rolled out in NHS boards across Scotland over the next year.

Developed by clinician-led tech company Infix, the national theatre scheduling tool improved operating room efficiency by up to 25% without the need for extra medical staff or additional theatres during successful pilots across three health boards. It also enabled the completion of additional operations for patients which resulted in significant financial savings.

The platform will now support all NHS Boards to increase productivity, remove paper processes, and reduce the overall administrative burden in the creation and approval of theatre lists, which can delay patient treatment.

In a speech in Edinburgh later today, Health Secretary Neil Gray will outline the role of innovation and collaboration in the future of Scotland’s health service.

He said: “Better use of data and digital technology is critical to how we drive improvements in healthcare and is a key part of our plans to reform services.

“This technology is backed by more than five years’ worth of NHS operating times data and is just one of the initiatives that will help enable us to schedule 1.5 million procedures per year – while improving data quality to help safely increase productivity. This will help maximise capacity, build greater resilience and reduce waiting lists.

“Reducing the administrative burden on staff will give them more time to spend on patient care. This is a shining example of how we are embracing cutting edge tools to tackle the challenges facing health and social care.”

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Stronger guidance and controls needed to protect children from screen time, says Westminster report

For young children, the benefits of screen time are significantly outweighed by the risks, a report by Westminster’s Education Committee has found.

The committee has published its report “Screen time: impacts on education and wellbeing”.

There has been a 52% increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022; nearly 25% of children and young people use their smartphones in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction.

Screen use has been found to start as early as six months of age. One in five children aged between three and four years old have their own mobile phone, increasing to one in four children by age eight and to almost all children by age 12. The amount of time those aged 5–15 years old spent online rose from an average of nine hours per week in 2009, to 15 hours per week in 2018.

As well as harms to mental and physical health, screen time can disrupt pupils’ learning both at home and in the classroom, as it can take up to 20 minutes for pupils to refocus on what they were learning after engaging in a non-academic activity such as browsing the internet or noticing a notification on their phone.

The report strongly supports the tougher guidance on keeping phones out of the classroom and breaktimes that the Department recently issued. However, the Committee heard mixed evidence on how well taken up this will be, we therefore recommend formal monitoring and evaluation of this approach by the next Government with the possibility of a statutory ban if needed. 

The Committee also concludes that screen time should be minimal for younger children and better balanced with face-to-face socialisation and physical activity for older ones.

Parents need clear guidance from Government on managing children’s screen time, and in particular advice to parents of babies and young children should be revised to ensure it gives sufficient attention to face-to-face interaction and warns of the risks of screen time in reducing opportunities for this.

While the Online Safety Act 2023 will undoubtably play a role in keeping children safe from online harms, the Committee is concerned that children will not feel the full protections of the Act until implementation is completed in 2026.

79% of children have encountered violent pornography before the age of 18, with the average age that children first see pornography being 13 years old. Some 81% of girls aged 7-21 have experienced some form of threatening or upsetting behaviour, and online sexual crimes committed against children online has risen by 400% since 2013.

One in five children (19%) aged 10-15 experienced at least one type of bullying behaviour online, and out of them, around three-quarters (72%) said they experienced at least some of it at school or during school time.

It is clear that the entire system surrounding the digital age of consent and how it is verified is not fit for purpose. The Committee heard no evidence to suggest that 13 is an appropriate age for children to understand the implications of allowing platforms access to their personal data online.

Yet even with the digital age of consent currently formally set at the lowest possible level, it is widely ignored and not effectively enforced. This must change urgently. The next Government should consult on raising the age of digital consent and should recommend 16 as a more appropriate age.

The report also calls for the level of digital age of consent to be effectively enforced. The Online Safety Act 2023 allows for substantial fines or even imprisonment for executives of companies who breach its rules, and the Government should consider how this approach can be applied to social media companies who knowingly breach age verification requirements and expose children to addictive content which is not appropriate for them.

Within the first year of the new Parliament, the next Government should work alongside Ofcom to consult on additional measures regarding smartphones for children under 16 years old, including the possibility of a total ban of smartphones (internet-enabled phones) for children under 16 or parental controls installed as default on phones for under 16s.

The next Government should work with mobile phone companies and network operators to promote children’s phones, a class of phone which can be used for contact and GPS location but not access to the internet or downloading apps.

Chair of the Education Committee, Robin Walker MP, said: “Excessive screen and smartphone use has a clear negative impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of children and young people. Our inquiry heard shocking statistics on the extent of the damage being done to under-18s, particularly those who are already extremely vulnerable, such as those in care.

“Without urgent action, more children will be put in harm’s way. From exposure to pornography, to criminal gangs using online platforms to recruit children, the online world poses serious dangers.

“Parents and schools face an uphill struggle and Government must do more to help them meet this challenge. This might require radical steps, such as potentially a ban on smartphones for under-16s.

“Our report found that digital age of consent checks are not fit for purpose. We heard no evidence demonstrating that thirteen-year-olds understood the ramifications of sharing personal information online and today’s report urges the Government to increase this age to sixteen.

“It’s also clear that children require face-to-face and in-person social contact in order to thrive. Our report found that screen time is inversely associated with working memory, processing, attention levels, language skills and executive function.

“Whilst there can be some benefits from the online world and sharing information or interests with their peers, ready, unsupervised and unrestricted access to the internet leaves children vulnerable, exposing them to a world they are not equipped for. Their safeguarding and protection must be our priority.”

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