Daily roundup 14 March: Children's commissioner, activity levels, and childminders

The Scottish Parliament will today be invited to nominate Bruce Adamson for appointment as the new children's commissioner for Scotland. Adamson is set to succeed Tam Baillie who leaves the position on 17 May 2017.


Children enter a "tragic decline" from the age of just seven, with activity levels dropping long before they leave primary school, new research suggests. The Telegraph reports that fitness experts said British pupils were entering a state of "digital dependence" which would shorten lives, with sedentary lifestyles becoming the norm long before children reached adolescence.


The proportion of childcare providers judged to be "good" or "outstanding" has risen to 93 per cent, up from 91 per cent in August 2016, figures published by Ofsted show. The statistics also show that the number of childminders in England has fallen by 23 per cent since 2012.


Children who are allowed more than three hours of screentime a day are at greater risk of developing diabetes, new research suggests. The Guardian reports that a study found that children who were glued to their screens for three or more hours a day scored higher on measures of body fat and had higher levels of resistance to the hormone insulin than their peers who spent an hour or less watching TV, videos or playing computer games.


Missing children are to get extra protection in Greater Manchester with a £400,000 project being launched to identify and support children who repeatedly go missing. The Manchester Evening News reports that the aim of the project, which is being run by The Children's Society, is to get to the root of the problems that are making then run away.