Phone and tablet use before bed does not damage kids’ mental health, new study says

FEARS that teenagers’ mental health is harmed by phone and tablet screen time are unfounded, a study claims.

Even using devices as few as 30 minutes before sleeping saw no fall in well-being.

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The findings come from an Oxford University study of 12,000 adolescents in the UK, 4,500 in Ireland and 790 in the US.

Prof Andrew Przybylski said: “We found little clear-cut evidence that screen time decreases adolescent well-being, even if the use of digital technology occurs directly before bedtime.”

The results — published in the Psychological Science journal — come as the Government prepares to unveil plans to reduce “online harms”.

Its white paper on Monday could look to make social media bosses personally accountable for harmful content published on their platforms.

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Ministers will legislate for a new “duty of care” to be policed by an independent regulator, according to leaks published by The Guardian.

The watchdog will have powers to impose substantial fines for breaches by companies and hold executives personally liable.

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