Children urged to unplug this Christmas as England's children's commissioner calls for phone-free family time

England's children's commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, urged parents to lead by example this Christmas by turning off smartphones during family time, saying children are crying out for engagement with relatives over the festive break.

She unveiled a new online safety guide for families that offers practical tips for managing screen time and setting boundaries, and includes guidance on talking about online safety and artificial intelligence.

More in Common, in partnership with Yondr, found nearly four in 10 adults say smartphones disrupted their Christmas in some way. The survey also shows that nearly half of parents with children aged 18 or younger plan to allow phones at the Christmas dinner table this year.

'I can't tell you how many children tell me about sitting at dinner and the parents are on the phone,' Dame Rachel said. 'So this Christmas, let's turn them off.'

Her comments came as she launched the guide, available online, to support parents who may feel overwhelmed by mixed messages about online safety and to help set boundaries for screen time and online experiences, including the use of artificial intelligence.

Pete Etchells, psychology professor at Bath Spa University, told BBC News that Christmas is a good time to lean into conversations with children about developing healthy relationships with technology. 'It's not about feeling guilty or ashamed of our tech use, but noticing it more,' he said. 'And striking up conversations about what we're happy with, and what we would like to be doing differently.'

Health Professionals for Safer Screens advocate Arabella Skinner told BBC News that simple rules can make a difference, such as creating a family plan around device use or designing a box to store mobiles during meals. 'Children feel most secure and content when they have our full attention, eye contact, and presence,' she said.

Ofcom's latest report, published earlier this month, highlighted concerns about the negative impacts of endless screentime. It found that children aged eight to 14 spend an average of nearly three hours online each day, and that up to a quarter of that time occurs between 2100 and 0500.

Dame Rachel stressed that the new guide is designed for families who may feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages around online safety and is based on child focus groups that informed practical tips and conversation starters on topics such as managing screen time and dealing with negative online experiences, including the use of AI.

The guide is available online and aims to help parents begin early and ongoing conversations about presence online and how to balance technology during holidays and beyond.