Erica Stanford: Education Minister on expanding the ECE oral language programme and youth social media concerns

There are long-term benefits for an early childhood programme pushing oral language skills before school.  The Government's widening access to ENRICH to a further 450 centres – with practical tools to increase toddler-teacher communication.   Education Minister Erica Stanford says the Dunedin trial was a success and has the backing of three decades of evidence.  She told Mike Hosking this particular programme is really easy to implement and the professional development is straightforward.   The Education Minister is also stressing that there must be societal change around the way young people use social media.   Australia is pushing ahead with tougher penalties for tech companies after evidence that county's ban has had little effect.   Last month the UK Prime Minister also announced it will pursue an under-16s ban on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.   Stanford told Hosking a ban here won't be a silver bullet straight away.  She says the Government's watching Australia's implementation to make sure New Zealand's approach is more effective.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.