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Popular parenting forum Mumsnet is calling for a UK social media ban for under-16s – as it launches a new advertising campaign highlighting the dangers of phone addiction among young people.
The social media platform has released a survey which shows that 92 per cent of parents on the site are concerned about the impact of social media on their children.
In the research, 61 per cent of those parents say their child was addicted to their phones in findings which show the scale of the worry among Brits.
As a result of the wide-ranging data, Mumsnet has called for the UK to ban social media use among those aged 16 or under.
Such a ban would follow Australia, which implemented the restrictions in late 2015.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said earlier this year that the British Government is considering measures to clamp down on issues called by phone use among youngsters.
Sir Keir said measures would be brought forward within "months, not years" as he seeks to capitalise on the worry among parents.
Mumsnet's bombshell research also shows:
Justine Roberts, Mumsnet founder, said: “Families are living with the harm caused by social media every day. This isn’t about parents failing to set boundaries.
"It’s about children being exposed to products deliberately designed to be addictive.
"Parents are watching the consequences unfold in real time: compulsive use, lost sleep, rising anxiety and collapsing self-esteem, while the companies responsible continue to profit.
“The idea that this can be fixed with better parenting or more guidance is a convenient fiction. You can’t out-parent a business model built on addiction.
"This campaign shines a light on the damage phone addiction is doing to under-16s and calls on politicians to stop wringing their hands and take decisive action to protect children from addictive technology.”
To put pressure on the Government to implement the Australia-style ban, Mumsnet has launched a new national advertising campaign.
The billboard and social media campaign combines provocative imagery with stark statistics highlighting the serious consequences of phone addiction, from increased rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation to depression and anxiety.
The findings highlight unprecedented public appetite for intervention, with 83 per cent of parents supporting a ban on social media for under-16s, and 58 per cent saying they would be more likely to vote for a political party that pledged to implement such a ban.