Parent's smartphones harming childrens' ability to hold conversation, say teachers

Parents’ immersion in smartphones has left some neglected children starting primary school unable to hold conversations, new research warns.Almost a third of children starting school are not ready for the classroom, with many lacking social skills, having speech problems or not toilet trained, the survey of senior primary school staff has found.Teachers warned of children suffering from a lack of attention and interaction from parents obsessed with their smartphones.

One head teacher said: “There is limited parent/child interaction. Four year-olds know how to swipe a phone but haven't a clue about conversations”.

Another primary school leader warned: “We are having more and more children entering our early years stage with delayed speech and a lack of school readiness.

“I feel much of this is down to challenging family circumstances alongside the rise of mobile phones and other mobile technology, which means parents are more often to be seen on the phone than talking to their children.”

The survey of more than 1,100 senior primary staff carried out by The Key, an information and advice service for head teachers, estimates at least 194,000 children could be ill-prepared to start school in September.

The State of Education report found four-fifths of teachers were worried about poor social skills or children having speech problems. More than two-thirds had seen children lacking “self-help skills”.

Teachers also reported levels of reading, writing and numeracy were lower than they should be.

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