Children aged 10 to 12 show a striking trend: two-thirds own smartphones, yet only 43 percent demonstrate mastery or near-mastery of an overarm throw, reveals a reports the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).

Decline in Fundamental Physical Skills

Teachers observe that students arrive at school lacking core strength, attributed to excessive tablet use and insufficient outdoor play. Researchers label these children as ‘iPad kids,’ noting their preference for indoor screen time over sports and physical activities.

Fundamental motor skills suffer as well. Just 18.7 percent of six- to nine-year-olds have mastered running, jumping, throwing, and catching. One teacher shared: ‘I’ve got two children [in my class] who physically cannot sit on the carpet. They don’t have core strength. And when I went to visit one of the girls in July, she’d never been to a nursery, she’d been sat on a corner sofa on an iPad so she hasn’t developed her core strength and it’s really affecting her whole development.’

Rising Health Concerns

Half of primary school children fall short of recommended exercise levels, achieving less than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity activity daily. Over 40 percent of under-13s maintain social media profiles, coinciding with increases in child obesity and mental health issues tied to prolonged online engagement.

NHS England data indicate one in six children aged eight to 10 now face a probable mental health disorder, a rise from one in 10 six years prior. A New Zealand study of around 6,000 children aged two to eight links over 90 minutes of daily screen time to below-average performance in communication, writing, numeracy, heightened behavioral problems, and early signs of anxiety.

Pathways to Improvement

Simple adjustments yield big results. Replacing just 15 minutes of daily screen time with physical activity could enable nearly 300,000 more primary school children to meet healthy activity thresholds.

The government recently confirmed plans for restrictions or a ban on social media for under-16s. The CSJ urges further action: the Department for Education should establish a national school activity standard mandating exercise focus in primary schools, Ofsted must evaluate physical development, and the Department of Health and Social Care should target 75 percent of children meeting activity guidelines by 2030.