SIR Keir Starmer must get a grip on screens in schools, the Tories demanded yesterday.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott criticised the Prime Minister for calling time on tech tablets at home, while using screens in classrooms for testing kids.
New Labour guidance calls for children as young as four to be assessed using the touchscreen devices, replacing the use of toys.
But advice issued to parents from ministers yesterday urged them to limit screen time to less than an hour for kids aged two to five, and none for under-twos.
Ms Trott said: “It’s absurd that while the Government are telling parents under-fives should have limited screen time, they moved reception assessments to screens.
“Until there is clear evidence screens improve learning, we should put the focus back on books, not devices.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “There is a world of difference between a child learning times tables using technology versus watching fast, algorithmically-driven content online.”
The Department for Education said digital assessments “reduce the administrative burden on teachers, freeing up their time”.
Austria plans to ban social media for under-14s, its government said yesterday.
