A majority of parents in the UK (79%) are concerned that their children’s screen time has increased since the pandemic, according to a new survey from the BBC Children’s and Education division.
Britain’s public broadcaster commissioned London-based research firm Survation to conduct its latest survey, which polled 2,010 parents across the country in May. The report found that 67% of parents are worried about what their kids are watching, and especially the amount of visual violence they’re exposed to (45%), the addictive nature of the content (26%) and the use of foul language (21%).
To help quell these concerns, BBC Creative partnered with London-based animation studio Blinkink to produce a stop-motion animated short called The Square Eyed Boy (pictured). The 60-second TV spot launches today and centers around a young boy whose eyes have turned into squares as a result of his excessive screen time. It goes on to reassure parents that the Beeb is a trusted source for kids content, and when used responsibly, screens can be a powerful tool for learning new skills.
A lot of parents don’t need much convincing about screen time’s potential for good; 65% of them agreed that screens have the ability to foster creativity and communication in children. Producers of educational content will also be happy to hear that 93% of parents surveyed are interested in seeing more educational programming for kids. This breaks down further, with 51% saying that educational content is the most important thing children can watch on screens, followed by entertainment (31%).
Interestingly, despite their concerns over what kids see on screens, parents don’t feel the need to intervene when it comes to access. In the report, 55% of parents admitted they don’t experience guilt when they give their child a phone, but most agree that it is important to limit screen time (83%).
The report’s findings suggest that British families are shifting away from viewing screen time as harmful to children, and are instead looking for more quality age-appropriate content, said BBC Children’s and Education director Patricia Hidalgo in a release.