British PM Sir Keir Starmer has announced an £88 million package for youth clubs and schools as he warned children are “too often isolated at home” facing the cha­lle­n­ges of the online world.

The funding is aimed at delivering services like new climbing walls and music lessons to buck the “worrying” trend of young people “deta­ched from the real world”.

The expansion is part of wider efforts to “reconnect young people with the world around them” amid concerns children are increasing amounts of time online or in their bedrooms. Announcing the package, the PM said: “Growing up today is hard for young people. As they navigate their way through the online world, too often they find themselves isolated at home and disconnected from their communities.

Downing Street said “young people today are spending more and more of their time detached from the real world, either stuck in their bedrooms or behind a screen, throwing up huge challenges for them and their loved ones to overcome”.