Kids 'need lessons in how to concentrate' because of social media's impact

The impact of social media is making children "need lessons in how to concentrate," it has been revealed.

Labour's Tristram Hunt told The Independent that kids need to learn the ability to concentrate for sustained periods - especially in today's world of short attention spans.

He said that he thinks that young people need help with being able to do that.

Hunt dismissed the Government's "Gordonstoun cold showers approach" to character-building, which was a reference to the Scottish private school that has been attended by generations of the Royal Family.

Instead, he said that they believed that there are interventions people can make to teacher training and interventions they can make in schools to build children's character to promote children's well-being.

Hunt said that these skills are often dismissed as "soft skills", asserting that these are very hard-edged skills young people need to gain.

He said that the teaching of resilience and self-control and character is more important to develop, not only in academic attainment terms but also in terms of the outcomes they need to improve their life chances.