Public campaign on smartphones dangers needed- Norfolk campaigner
A two-hour social media app limit for children's among measures is being 'seriously considered' to tackle 'compulsive' screen-time
A campaigner in Norfolk tells us a public information strategy is needed to educate people on the dangers of smartphones.
It's as ministers are 'seriously considering' limiting children's social media use to two hours a day per platform.
"in my view it's too little coming in too slowly"
Thorfinn Armstrong lives in Great Moulton and is a father of two:
"When you come across these numbers like children spending seven hours a day on screens, it highlights just how big of a deal this is.
"The plans are a step in the right direction, but in my view it's too little coming in too slowly as these things normally do.
"I think the eventually solution for this is to make smartphones something that are only available for those who are over the age of 16 years old.
"A child does not need 24 hour internet in their pocket, you can and should be able to get in touch with them via a block phone if needed".
What's being considered in more detail:
Peter Kyle said he wanted to tackle "compulsive behaviour" and ministers are reportedly considering a two-hour limit, with curfews also under discussion.
The Cabinet minister said he would be making an announcement about his plans for under-16s "in the near future".
He told Sky News: "I am looking very carefully about the overall time kids spend on these apps.
"I think some parents feel a bit disempowered about how to actually make their kids healthier online.
"I think some kids feel that sometimes there is so much compulsive behaviour with interaction with the apps they need some help just to take control of their online lives and those are things I'm looking at really carefully."
Sky reported that a two-hour cap per platform is being considered, while night-time or school-time curfews have also been discussed.
Mr Kyle said: "We talk a lot about a healthy childhood offline. We need to do the same online.
"I think sleep is very important, to be able to focus on studying is very important."
He said he wanted to "tip the balance" in favour of parents so they were "not always being the ones who are just ripping phones out of the kids' hands".
Mr Kyle also said it was "total madness" that some adults were able to use apps or gaming platforms to contact children online.
He said "many of the apps or the companies have taken action to restrict contacts that adults, particularly strangers, have with children, but we need to go further".
"At the moment, I think the balance is tipped slightly in the wrong direction.
"Parents don't feel they have the skills, the tools or the ability to really have a grip on the childhood experience online, how much time, what they're seeing, they don't feel that kids are protected from unhealthy activity or content when they are online."
A series of already-announced measures to protect children will come into effect from Friday.
The codes of practice set out by Ofcom include requiring firms to ensure that any algorithms used to recommend content on their platforms must be configured to filter out harmful content from children's feeds.
In addition, the riskiest platforms, such as those hosting pornography, must have effective age checks to identify which users are children.
The checks could be done using facial age estimation technology, asking users to provide photo-ID for verification or a credit card check.