Parents urged to delay buying children smartphones

Campaigners in Shropshire are asking parents to think twice before giving their children smartphones.

Regional leader for Smartphone Free Childhood, Tess Burgess from Shrewsbury, wants youngsters to go without such mobiles until their teenage years.

Nearly a quarter of UK five-to-seven-year-olds now have their own smartphone, Ofcom research has suggested.

Some groups, including Smartphone Free Childhood Shropshire, want age limits to be introduced for the use of phones with internet access and existing limits for social media access raised.

Ms Burgess said the intention of the "grassroots movement is to effectively change cultural norms".

She added: "The aim of the movement is to move towards parental packs to delay children having a smartphone until they're at the end of Year 9 and in secondary school.

"Essentially the idea is that children will have the increased opportunity to have in-person social interactions, which is sadly something that... is not as commonplace."

Nearly a quarter of UK five-to-seven-year-olds now have their own smartphone

Rather than smartphones, she is encouraging parents to consider so-called feature phones.

Such mobiles give users access to calls and texts, but not internet access or other apps.

"There are... significant mental health risks that are associated with increased use of smartphones and social media," Ms Burgess said.

Social media use has increased in the five-to-seven-year-old age group over a year with nearly two in five using messaging service WhatsApp, despite its minimum age of 13.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, has warned parental enforcement of rules "appeared to be diminishing".