#SHOWBIZ: Hugh Grant calls for laptop and tablet ban in classroom
According to The Telegraph newspaper yesterday, Grant, a father of five, joined the campaign group Close Screens, Open Minds at an event at a school in West London, where he aired his frustrations alongside social psychologist Dr Jonathan Haidt and actress Sophie Winkleman.
Grant described himself as "another angry parent fighting the eternal, exhausting, and depressive battle with children who only want to be on a screen".
He said: "The final straw was when the school started saying we give every child a Chromebook, and they do a lot of lessons on their Chromebook, and they do all their homework on their Chromebook. That's the last thing we need."
Grant said that many parents feared "rocking the boat".
He explained: "I don't think politicians ever do anything because it's the right thing to do, even if it's the right thing to do to protect children. They'll only do what gets them votes. They only care about their career.
"Therefore, I think the option on this, which is to go after parents, is the right one.
"That's also when schools start to listen because they're scared of people leaving their schools and losing business."
He blasted the "ridiculous posh private schools" he sends his children to for restricting outdoor play.
Grant said: "They're the ones saying they're not going to play outside today because it's raining, or they can't go on the climbing frame because it's windy. It's pathetic. It seems to me that there is space here for a hero school, a set of schools, to break the mould."
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