Beyond screen time: rethinking children’s play in a digital world

The expert view is that screen time, when measured in hours, matters less than the content, context and connections associated with children’s digital engagement. How are health visitors to advise parents accordingly? Drawing on new qualitative research with UK children, parents and carers and professionals who work with children, and on a national survey of 6–17-year-olds, this article asks whether the qualities of play that apply offline can also be applied online. The findings offer a language for parents, children and health visitors to talk about, and evaluate, when and how digital play benefits or undermines children’s wellbeing.