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Neuroscience and digital childhoods

Inquiry

Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into neuroscience and digital childhoods to examine the impact of digital devices on brain development, as well as physical impacts, the differences between devices and uses, and the differing impacts on those of different ages and from different backgrounds.