Young kids in UK can't turn pages of books and use them like phones, survey finds
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Young kids in UK can't turn pages of books and use them like phones, survey finds")
Young school children in the UK use books like phones. Photograph: (Unsplash)
A considerable number of four to five-year-olds in the UK are incapable of using a book and have problems using the toilet, with many of them coming to school in diapers. A survey has found that the problem is aggravated because parents lack the right information.
A survey in the UK shows that a significant number of young kids starting primary school did not know how to use a book, were not toilet-trained and could not eat or drink independently. Experts have raised concerns that the generations with phones and tablets in their hands were struggling with basic life skills and called for urgent action. The study by early years charity Kindred Squared noted that the kids did not know how to turn the pages of a book, and some of them were even swiping them like phones. Around 26 per cent of the children in their reception class had frequent toilet mishaps, with more than one in three (36 per cent) in the North East having trouble. Nearly 28 per cent of children struggled to eat or drink on their own, the teachers estimated. Most of the staff blamed excessive screentime for the problem, not just the kids, but also the parents.
Experts say it is a systemic crisis in the country which needs to be tackled immediately. The government is pushing for more kids to be "school-ready". This would mean achieving developmental milestones, such as being able to eat themselves, basic language skills, use the toilet and being able to dress themselves. One thousand primary staff that are part of the charity found that one in three, 37 per cent, of children are not ready for school at the time of starting reception. This is a significant jump from 33 per cent of such students in 2024.
Teachers warn of a systemic crisis regarding school children
Talking about the issues they face in the classrooms, the teachers said nearly 2.4 hours of teaching time was going into things that the students could have tackled themselves, but couldn't because they lacked basic skills. Getting them to use the toilet, or changing nappies, took up 1.4 hours every day. Kindred Squared chief executive Felicity Gillespie called it a "systemic crisis". Issues like a lack of enough resources at school, low expectations and the rising cost of living were adding to the problem. They also state that the parents do not have an understanding of when and how to start supporting their children's development.
But of the 1,000 parents surveyed, 88 per cent said their child was ready to start school this year, and 35 per cent think their kid is more ready than others. More than 94 per cent of parents want the government to come up with some sort of guidance towards making their children school-ready.
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