London - Many children start school unable to hold a pencil because they spend too much time on iPads, a leading headteacher has warned.
Bob Drew said a lack of physical activity means the upper bodies of four and five-year-olds are simply not strong enough.
“They can’t hold a pencil, their grip is so weak that their handwriting is dreadful,” he said.
“We think that’s to do with having too much access to digital technology.
“They literally don’t have enough grip to control the pencil properly. That is a worrying trend. I can’t believe we are unique.”
Mr Drew, who has advised Ministers on education, has set up an outdoor physical trail at his school in Redbridge, East London, to combat the problem.
It has exercises like press-ups and monkey bars to help pupils build up their arm muscles and has led to “rapid gains”.
Many families think they are helping by letting their children use educational apps but may be unwittingly stunting their physical development, he warned. The problem has become noticeable in the last two years as too many parents give children the devices instead of encouraging them to play outside, added Mr Drew.
It was worse for boys than girls, he said. “They don’t do what boys normally do – throw balls around, climb trees.
“It seems to be prevalent with boys because girls like to do a lot more tactile things. They tend to do things like beads, playing with hair, lots of crafts and arty stuff.”
While attending an education conference in London, Mr Drew also spoke of seeing younger siblings at pick-up time at Gearies Infant School with technology, not toys.
“It’s really weird when you see children in a buggy who are not even in school coming in with mobile phones,” he said.
“That’s what our parents use. They may have previously given the car keys or a rattle but now they give them mobile phones.”
His comments follow other warnings by experts and headteachers about the harmful effects of digital devices on the speech, sleep and development of young children.
Daily Mail