From an explosion in young people being referred for emergency mental healthcare to a sharp increase in children having teeth extracted in hospital, current data reflects a worrying decline in children’s health in the UK. However, a growing network of researchers at Sheffield Hallam University are pioneering new studies aimed at reversing this alarming trend.
One of the most pressing issues, which is rarely out of the headlines, is the question of whether smartphones and tablets are negatively affecting the development and mental wellbeing of the nation’s children. And while parents and pundits worry over smartphone addiction among teenagers, and underage children using social media, a group of scientists is embarking on an ambitious £1.5m research project to establish, with hard evidence, the real impact of digital devices on young children’s development.
