Primary school children are struggling to sit up straight on the carpet or in chairs thanks to a childhood spent staring at screens instead of playing outside, concerned teachers and educational experts have warned.
Many are unable to cope with the long hours in class when they first enter school, often slumping onto the floor or falling out of their seats.
It's all being attributed to an astonishing increase in tablet and smartphone use among young children, introducing a screen addiction at a young age which soon becomes their main source of entertainment over visits to the playground or the park.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) of five to 12-year-olds spend three or more hours on such devices every day, with 7 per cent racking up over five hours daily, according to stats by children's play experts Outdoor Toys.
Unsurprisingly, this leaves little time for exercise and traditional forms of fun, with less than half (44 per cent) getting two hours of outdoor play each day and a whopping 30 per cent not getting out the house at all most days.
