Former Bassetlaw Council leader backs calls for tighter restrictions on smartphone use in children

Coun James Naish MP (Lab), who represents Sturton on Bassetlaw Council and is the former leader of the authority, was speaking in his capacity as MP for Rushcliffe when he gave his support to the Safer Phones Bill, which aims to prevent smartphone addiction in children.

He said he had decided to support it after becoming convinved it is now ‘very clear’ the devices are impacting the health of young people.

The bill was introduced by Whitehaven & Workington MP Josh MacAlister (Lab), saying families and teachers need support to cut down children’s daily smartphone screentime.

The full bill will be drafted in the coming weeks ahead of its second reading in Parliament.

Measures being considered include raising the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16 to strengthening the regulatory powers of watchdogs like Ofcom to protect children.

It is also being backed by the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) Nottinghamshire campaign group.

Mr Naish, through a video message, offered his support to the growing SFC Nottinghamshire group at their latest event on November 27.

He said: “In Parliament, I was able to listen to some parents talk about their concerns and the harrowing stories they have experienced as a result of phone time.

“I think it’s very clear that excess screen time is having a major impact on mental health, sleep and learning for students.

“We’re at that point where we need to talk about the addictive qualities of phones, how we can make a better world which empowers teachers, parents and students and children to distance themselves from phones or at least make educated choices about how long they spend on them.”

The wider SFC campaign is based on the view smartphone use by children exposes them to harmful content, the addictive algorithms of common apps and puts them at risk of worsening mental health.

Since September more than 70,000 parents have signed the parent pact- promising to not give their child a smartphone until they reach the age of 14.

The Nottinghamshire SFC group has gone from 320 members in September to 536 this month.

Dr Laura Spells, who is part of similar action group, PAPAYA, gave a presentation at the Nottinghamshire meeting and is hoping for stricter enforcement in schools.

She said: “We would ideally want all secondary schools to be entirely smartphone free, no phones on the premises or locked away because they interfere with children’s concentration.”

Many smartphone companies, including iPhone manufacturers Apple, do not have a specified age recommendation for owning a phone, but a child aged under 13 cannot create an Apple ID account without their parent’s consent.

On its website Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, says its committement to child protection is ‘led by a comprehensive set of community standards.

"Meta has zero-tolerance rules prohibiting abuse and policies that place importance on your child’s safety.

"Our cutting-edge technologies prevent, detect and remove violations.”

Snapchat states on its website: “Like many other social networks and messaging apps, the minimum age to use Snapchat is 13-years-old.

"Additionally, users aged 13-17 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use the app.”