The Government said this week that children under five should face tighter limits on screen-time, with ministers warning about the impact of excessive device use on development, attention and early learning. It is a very real problem and as a teacher I see the consequences all too often.

Pupils have told me that they spend seven hours a day at weekends on Twitch (“my parents haven’t got a clue, sir”); wake up at 4:30am to play Fifa with their cousins in Asia (later, they fall asleep in lessons); and deal with 200-250 Snap messages daily after school, often causing distress and drama.

There is a predictable cycle to stories like this. Guidelines are issued, and for a few days, we talk as if the answer lies just beyond........

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