• Without proper safety measures and oversight in place, screens may lead children to unsafe places, whether on TV, tablets, or smartphones.
• What's more, many parents also want to keep little ones away from social media as long as possible to keep them safe.
• Other parents, however, like children to have mobiles as a way to track them, for safety purposes, when not in their direct care. This is also understandable.
• The use of electronic screens can also be helpful for children with SEND (special educational needs or disabilities). For example, they may benefit from screen-based assistive technology, an invaluable tool that may help with communication, mobility, and so on.
• Children are naturally captivated by brightly-coloured, moving screen images and stimulating audio. They can therefore be invaluable as a distraction tool when a parent simply needs a few minutes' peace.
• Older children may not want to miss out on chats, social media, and all the online goings-on that their friends and peers may be up to. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is real for kids. That said, it's less likely to affect under-fives, who usually have far less, if any, access to it.
• And, to quote the findings of a recent report by Government advisors:

“Some evidence has linked large amounts of screen time with negative effects on children's health and development, including on social, emotional, language and brain development, sleep, eyesight and healthy weight.” — Findings from the EYSTAG Report