Kids on screens: Good, bad or the future of learning? - The Sunday Story

屏幕前的孩子们:是好是坏还是学习未来的趋势?——周日故事

The Story

2026-01-25

39 分钟
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单集简介 ...

It's the debate of our time. How much is too much and what's the impact of screentime for children? With a proposed ban on social media for under 16s being debated in the UK, and children arriving at primary school swiping books like phones, we take a deep dive into the impact, and future, of screentime and AI in schools. Actress and campaigner Sophie Winkelman, a prominent voice of the dangers of increased screentime for children and Ben Gomes, Chief Technologist at Google, who is leading in the implementation of AI in schools, set out the arguments. Guests: Sophie Winkleman, actress, campaigner and trustee of charity School-Home Support.Ben Gomes, Chief Technologist, Learning and Sustainability, Google.Host: Manveen Rana.   Producer: Dave Creasey. Clips: Times Radio. Photo: Getty Images, Christopher L Proctor for the Sunday Times. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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单集文稿 ...

  • From The Times and The Sunday Times, this is the story on Sunday.

  • I'm Manvina Rana.

  • It's becoming one of the great debates of our era.

  • How much tech should children be exposed to?

  • An annual survey of reception teachers has found that more than a quarter of children starting school are unable to use books correctly.

  • Some even try to swipe them as if they were a tablet or phone.

  • More than half of the staff polled said excessive screen time was a key factor in not being ready for school.

  • This week,

  • the government has been mooting the idea of introducing a ban on social media for under-16s.

  • But for most parents, the question is broader.

  • With many children now experiencing much of their education online,

  • is tech enabling children to flourish or is it staining their development?

  • Technology is the way to approach this problem.

  • It actually helps the student and enables them to learn faster and more.

  • Is EdTech stunting children's capacity to think deeply and be creative?

  • Or is it opening up a whole new world of learning?

  • How do you get the balance right?

  • And how do you help children to prepare for the AI-driven world that's coming?

  • It's a terrible way to learn.

  • All the sort of shiny futuristic stuff is just bollocks.