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Hunt blames smartphones for children 'not speaking properly'

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt has said that smartphone use among parents is to blame for children’s speech and language delays.

He said, 'I have a recurring conversation in the schools I visit. Primary head teachers explain to me the challenges they face in getting their pupils to the relevant level of progress, given their various developmental delays. In particular, more children are presenting with serious difficulties when it comes to speech and language.

‘When I ask if the condition is getting worse, all heads say yes - and they blame smartphones.

‘The impact of parents not talking to their children – scrolling through emails, checking the football scores and catching up on Twitter - is leaving school children unable to speak properly.’

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Hunt goes on to claim that all too often it is schools that are left to address the learning gap, but it is poor parenting which is at fault.

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