In advance of the 2026 Scottish Parliament Elections we, Unplug.Scot, are asking all parties seeking election, to publicly affirm - and explicitly support in their manifestos - the following human rights, child rights and data protection rights, to better protect children from device-based harms in school.
Why?
Growing evidence indicates that digital dependency and excessive screen use - especially when it begins in childhood - can lead to long-term mental, physical and developmental harms.
Across Scotland, children as young as four are routinely given hand-held screens in school with no time limit on usage, nor national safe usage guidelines.
Following a 2021 Scottish Government pledge - children as young as seven are increasingly given their own 1-to-1 tablet or laptop by their education authority for theortically unlimited use in school and at home.
Following numerous national news stories exposing the poorly configured and even absent filter protections supplied by councils, the failure of 31 out of 32 local authorities to carry out any kind of digital risk assessments, and the repeated instances of not only harm but forced usage of devices against parents and children's wishes, Unplug.Scot - a group of parents across Scotland - have come together to say enough is enough. We value the safety of our children and will not stand by while they are exposed to harm every day when they walk through their school gates.
The Right to Low Tech
To aid legislators, we have compiled the following list of basic rights that we are asking the Scottish Government, and all parties seeking election in the 2026 Holyrood elections, to urgently codify in their manifestos. These define a "low-tech" education that parents and children have a right to expect.
Time Limits
A 1 hour-a-day screen time limit on school devices, (max 2hrs in late secondary) in line with medical guidance
Whitelist Filtering
Only selected bias-free, ad-free, evidence-based apps and internet resources to be used during school time
Data Protection
No Phones
Lockaway ban on personal internet connected devices from home (smartphones, tablets etc)
These rights are already supported by either medical guidance or existing data protection and human rights laws in Scotland - however, we are calling for these to be explicitly codified as in our experience these laws are not being enforced nor children's rights respected or protected.
We will vocally support all parties that commit to upholding children’s rights and data protection laws by by including all these low tech rights for child safety (LTRs) in their published manifestos.
Unplug.Scot
Join the main WhatsApp group here