The Winston Marshall Show Sophie Winkleman - The Digital Experiment on Our Kids and It’s Not Going To End Well...
14 snips
Nov 11, 2025 
Sophie Winkleman, an actress and campaigner, discusses the alarming effects of smartphones and social media on children. She highlights how excessive screen time rewires young brains, contributing to anxiety, self-harm, and attention issues. Sophie shares her insights on the negative impacts of educational technology, calling it 'big tech in a school uniform,' and emphasizes the importance of returning to traditional learning methods. She also critiques current digital policies and proposes solutions to safeguard children's mental health in a hyper-connected world.
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Screens Are Irreversibly Entrancing
- Internet-enabled screens are uniquely thrilling and toxic for children and hard to reverse once normalised.
- Sophie Winkleman observed younger children given iPads and phones causing long-term developmental change.
Screens Disrupt Sleep And Biology
- Prolonged screen time harms eyesight, disrupts hormones and delays sleep by shifting circadian rhythm later.
- Sophie links evening screens to children going to bed one to two hours later on average.
Peer Pressure Amplified For Adolescent Girls
- Social media amplifies adolescent mimicry and peer pressure, worsening body image and eating disorders in girls.
- Sophie highlights 11–13 year-old girls' biological drive to fit in makes them especially vulnerable.
