Overview

• Kate published a co-authored essay with Harvard’s Robert Waldinger arguing that digital distraction is fueling an “epidemic of disconnection” and threatening young children’s social and emotional development.
• She visited Home-Start Oxford the same day to meet volunteers and families, emphasizing how attentive, loving interactions in early childhood lay foundations for lifelong wellbeing.
• Home-Start UK is preparing a nationwide rollout of training based on the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s animated Explainer Series for its roughly 9,000 volunteers.
• The essay draws on findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, underscoring that the quality of relationships is a strong predictor of health and happiness across life.
• As public examples of the campaign’s guidance, Prince William recently said their children do not have phones, and the essay urges protecting focused family moments such as device-free dinners.