Keir Starmer launches major plan to get children out bedrooms and off phones

Keir Starmer has vowed to tackle the “worrying trend” of kids being stuck in their rooms online with an £88million investment in youth clubs and after-school activities.

The Prime Minister said algorithms can't teach youngsters how to discover a new passion as he set out plans to revitalise youth services. “Growing up today is hard for young people”, Mr Starmer said.

“As they navigate their way through the online world, too often they find themselves isolated at home and disconnected from their communities. As a government, we have a duty to act on this worrying trend.” It comes as Rachel Reeves gave an update on wealth tax calls as pressure mounts to target richest Brits.

Under the Building Creative Futures package, £30.5m will go towards improving youth clubs in the poorest areas and a £19m joint investment will support more than a million additional hours of youth work in areas with high rates of anti-social behaviour.

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Some £22.5m over three years will give students in up to 400 schools access to extra-curricular activities, from new climbing walls and outdoor adventures to music lessons and debating clubs. And £7.5m will go towards supporting clubs like scouts, guides and police cadets.

Downing Street said investment in youth services in England had declined by more than 70% over a decade.

It said its new package of funding was part of efforts to "reconnect young people with the world around them" amid them spending “more and more of their time detached from the real world, either stuck in their bedrooms or behind a screen”.

The National Youth Strategy will set out the government’s long-term vision for youth policy in the autumn. The long-awaited child poverty strategy is due to be published at a similar time.

The PM added: “Today's investment is about offering a better alternative: transformative, real-world opportunities that will have an impact in communities across the country, so young people can discover something new, find their spark and develop the confidence and life skills that no algorithm can teach."

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “We know that strong local youth services are the bedrock of thriving communities that give our young people safe spaces to learn, grow and reach their potential. Today’s announcement is just the beginning.”

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