Member

Some parents are now choosing to go back in time by giving their children really simple phones, which still enable them to call on the way home or, should they be young carers, to have a phone in school with them. That removes all the peer pressure and, to be perfectly frank, the difficulty that a lot of parents face in having to say no to all the demands. I do not have children, but I have friends who do, and they are in that difficult 13 to 14-year-old age group. The biggest fights they have are over what their children can access on their phones. If we made having a smartphone less appealing in the first place, we would be doing a huge amount to help parents to do their difficult job in these modern times. I do not believe our new clause would hinder anything; instead, it would protect children in school and promote focus and attention. As I have said, it would also limit the peer pressure on children and their parents for a fully smartphone world.