Hugh Grant blasts 'pathetic' schools for feeding children's screen addictions as he demands laptops and tablets are removed from classrooms
- The Government has faced calls to clamp down on mobile phones in schools
Hugh Grant has condemned schools for indulging pupils' screen addictions - as the actor called for laptops and tablets to be barred from classrooms.
The Hollywood star and father-of-five made the call at a campaigning event at a school in west London, as he also criticised education chiefs for restrictions on children playing outside.
Notting Hill and Four Weddings And A Funeral star Grant, 64, accused schools of making 'pathetic' calls on what their students were allowed to do.
And he described himself as 'another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen'.
He took part in the move organised by group Close Screens, Open Minds - appearing alongside US psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt as well as actress Sophie Winkleman who is wed to King Charles's second cousin Lord Frederick Windsor.
The event took place at Knightsbridge School in west London, a nearby district to Kensington where Grant has previously owned homes including a penthouse that was advertised for sale for almost £8million in 2021.
Some 98 per cent of teachers now use technology in classrooms across primary and secondary schools
Grant, who has been married since 2018 to Swedish TV producer Anna Eberstein, lambasted classroom Chromebooks for pupils as 'the last f***ing thing they need'.
Actor Hugh Grant and his wife Anna Eberstein, who wed in 2018, are pictured here at a football match between Como 1907 and Parma in Italy last October
Hugh Grant has spoken out against the use of laptops and tablets in classrooms - he and his wife Anna Eberstein are seen at the BAFTA Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall in February
Restrictions on technology use in classrooms were discussed at an event at Knightsbridge School in west London by campaign group Close Screens, Open Minds (stock image)
Laptops and phones are available in primary and secondary school classrooms to nine out of ten pupils, according to a Department for Education report in 2023.
Grant appeared at the event alongside Dr Haidt, who wants schools to phone-free as well as a ban on mobiles for those aged under 14 and under-16s to be prevented from using social media.
Dr Haidt said there should be a role for technology in schools but 'not on children's desks', the Telegraph reported.
And Grant was quoted as expressing his frustration about the treatment of pupils, saying: 'The final straw was when the school started saying, with some smugness, we give every child a Chromebook.
'And they do a lot of lessons on their Chromebook, and they do all their homework on their Chromebook, and you just thought that is the last f***ing thing they need, and the last thing we need.'
Grant also criticised what he described as the 'kind of ridiculous posh private schools' attended by his children for allegedly restricting outdoor play.
He said: 'They’re the ones saying they're not going to play outside today because it’s raining, or they can't go on the climbing frame because it's windy.
'It's pathetic - it seems to me that there is space here for a hero school, a set of schools, to break the mould.'
Notting Hill and Bridget Jones star Hugh Grant says he is 'another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen'
The father-of-five is seen here with his wife Anna Eberstein at the London premiere of his latest film Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy in January this year
Meanwhile, Peep Show sitcom actress Winkleman, said: 'We were sold a dream that technology would revolutionise education, personalise learning and prepare kids for a digital future. Billions of dollars and pounds later, where are we?
'Test scores are plummeting globally. The increased screen use is damaging children’s health.
'Pupils are resorting to ChatGPT to write their essays, and teachers are employing AI to mark them, which begs the question, what’s the point of school?'
And Dr Haidt told the event at Knightsbridge School: 'Test scores began going down after 2012 - I don’t know if it’s because of the phones, or because that’s when we put iPads and Chromebooks on kids' desks.
'Whatever it is, as soon as we brought in the EdTech, scores plunged.'
MailOnline has contacted representatives for Hugh Grant for further comment.
His calls come after the Children's Commissioner earlier this month suggested that smartphone use should be restricted for children outside of school to keep them safe 'beyond the classroom'.
She spoke out as a new survey of 19,000 schools and colleges found that the vast majority already restricted mobile phone use during the school day.
Dame Rachel de Souza said stronger action was needed to protect children 'outside of the school gates', including restricting smartphone use and a possible social media ban for under-16s.
Actress Sophie Winkleman also spoke about her tech concerns - she is seen here at a separate Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference in February
Lady Sophie Winkleman is pictured at Ascot in June 2023 alongside King Charles, who is a second cousin of her husband Lord Frederick Windsor
A poll of children aged between eight and 15 also found that almost one in four spent more than four hours each day using a computer, phone, tablet or games console.
Some 69 per cent of children devote more than two hours daily to electronic devices, while six per cent even said they used them more than six hours a day, the YouGov survey reported.
Dame Rachel said: 'These children are not spending these hours on their phones while sat in school. It goes much wider than that.
'If we want to protect children, we must broaden our focus beyond school gates and ensure they are safe online at all times.'
Schools in England were given non-statutory Government guidance in February last year intended to restrict the use of phones during the school day.
Meanwhile, Labour was last month accused of 'capitulating' to tech giants and 'betraying our children' by 'gutting' laws that would have included a ban on smartphones in schools.
Proposed legislation, known as the Safer Phones Bill, has been introduced to Parliament by Labour backbencher Josh McAlister.
The Bill aims to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites like TikTok and Snapchat and prevent them 'doom scrolling' on their phones.
Hugh Grant was speaking at an event held at Knightsbridge School (pictured) in west London
The actor is seen here at a BAFTA Film Awards party at London's National Gallery in February
If passed into law, it would instruct UK chief medical officers to publish advice for parents on the use of smartphones and social media by children.
It would also compel ministers to say within a year whether they plan to raise the age at which children can consent for their data to be shared without parental permission.
But Mr MacAlister and the Government today faced anger over the watering-down of his initial proposals following talks with ministers.
The Whitehaven and Workington MP had originally planned for his private members' bill to call for a legal requirement to make all schools in England mobile-free zones.
Mr MacAlister also wanted to commit the Government to review further regulation of the design, supply, marketing and use of smartphones by under-16s.
As MPs debated the Bill's second reading, Tory MP Kit Malthouse claimed the officially-titled Protection of Children Bill was now a 'hollowed-out gesture'.
The former education secretary told the House of Commons he lamented 'the gutting of what could have been a landmark Bill'
Mr Malthouse claimed the Government had 'dithered, diluted and capitulated', adding: 'We should all be furious about this.
'We should all be furious about the delay and the prevarication that is being injected into what could have been a huge step forward for parents and children.
'I cannot then understand why the Government has pressured (Mr MacAlister) to produce what is, frankly, a cosmetic plug, betraying our children and capitulating to big tech.
'I'm afraid this Bill is a shell of what it could have been, and as a result, is yet another missed opportunity to improve the lives of our young people.'
Fellow Tory MP Sir Ashley Fox said he suspected a Government whip had told Mr MacAlister 'he had a very promising career ahead of him should he agree to do the right thing and water this legislation down to the point where it doesn't actually do very much at all'.
Intervening, Mr MacAlister said: 'Private members' Bills are often a shot in the dark, and my aim from the beginning of this process has been, yes, to have the national debate.
Proposed legislation, known as the Safer Phones Bill, has been introduced to Parliament by Labour backbencher Josh McAlister
Tory MP Kit Malthouse, the former education secretary, told the House of Commons he lamented 'the gutting of what could have been a landmark Bill'
'But also to put all of my energy on landing this with some action and progress.'
Speaking in support of his Bill, Mr MacAlister - a former teacher - told MPs that the average 12-year-old spends 21 hours a week on their smartphone
'This is a fundamental rewiring of childhood itself and it's happened in little over a decade,' he added.
'We must act on excessive screen time today in the same way we acted on smoking back then, and like debates that were had on smoking and car seatbelts, it took a process of legislation rather than one 'big bang' event.
'That's why starting today with these initial steps and then following them through with major action soon will be so important.'
Data protection minister Sir Chris Bryant said he was 'not going to make any arguments today against action'.
'Everybody accepts that action is inevitable in this sphere,' he added.
Sir Chris said the Government was working to implement the already-passed Online Safety Act 'as fast as we possibly can'
Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England, has suggested that smartphone use should be restricted for children outside of school
A proposed bill aims to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites such as TikTok and Snapchat and prevent them 'doom scrolling' on their phones
He added that illegal content codes will come into force this month, with new duties on social media companies to detect and remove some content including child sexual abuse and terrorism material.
He said children's safety codes are 'nearly finalised', and told the Commons that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was running a feasibility study into the impact of smartphones and social media.
That is due to report in May, so ministers 'have all the information that we need to make a considered view', Sir Chris added.
MPs agreed to adjourn the debate, which was listed to resume on July 11.
