Kids For Now

09/08/2026

Sweden is officially reversing its use of digital technologies in education to bring back handwriting and books. 🇸🇪📚

Reports say Sweden is pivoting away from a digital-first approach in schools after experiencing declines in reading comprehension scores. Educators noted that screens fragmented attention spans and weakened foundational skills. Consequently, the nation decided to phase out digital tools for children under six and reinvest significantly in physical textbooks to improve memory, language processing, and student learning outcomes.



References:
Stockholm Herald: Sweden Reverses Course by Replacing Classroom Screens With Traditional Books
Nordic School Review: Why European Educators Are Phasing Out Digital Tools for Early Learners
Global Education Insights: Tactile Learning and Paper Textbooks Make a Major Comeback in Swedish Schools

04/07/2026

Schools should not post images of children on social media and should not rely on social media platforms for their communications with parents.

Its not good enough to simply ask parents consent. The culture of constantly sharing everything children do publicly on commercial platforms sets a poor example, contradicts safety advice and normalizes social media for children from an early age. Its a terrible practice that must stop.

We've been saying this for years. Schools have not listened. Will they start to take notice now?

Exclusive: National Crime Agency and safety watchdog issue guidance amid rise in explicit material online

02/07/2026

Go Super Nova!

Presenting on EdTech to Senior Policymakers at the Department for Education Delighted to be invited back to discuss the growing adoption of one-to-one devices in schools and what this means for teaching and learning. We now have more than two decades of research showing that screens are a cognitivel...

30/06/2026

As parents, what message do we send to children when we lock in on our screens? Bitesize Parenting investigates.

16/06/2026

What IS Smartphone Free Childhood?

Channel 4 News 15 June 2026 - On the Day Sir Kier Starmer announced...

16/06/2026

What IS Free Childhood?

15/06/2026

15/06/2026

What a wonderful speech from PM Sir Kier Starmer today! Of course I welcome this. 9 out of 10 parents responded to the governments consultation in favour of a ban. But we know this won't be a silver bullet. It will be really tough on teenagers who are already used to being on social media. Some will find ways around it. But it helps shifts the social norm. It will be complicated and hard to enforce. But something has to be done. My hope is that the conversation moves on to the obvious simple solution, delay smartphones. This isn't about taking something away from children. Its about giving something back: time, attention, confidence and childhood itself.

The prime minister has announced a ban on under-16s accessing certa...

13/06/2026

Remember Friday nights at the video shop?Back then, we all accept...

11/06/2026

Sweden announced it is banning smartphones in its schools and also taking steps outside of school: Its public health agency has provided advice to parents about being better role models on the use of screens, like having the same “screen-free zones” at home as their kids do.

Since 2023, Sweden’s centre-right coalition government has pursued a policy prioritising more reading time and less screen time