Children limiting own smartphone use to manage mental health, survey finds

The findings drew on a survey of 20,000 young people and their parents across 18 countries. Photograph: Kathy deWitt/Alamy

Children are increasingly taking breaks from their smartphones to better manage their mental health, personal safety and concentration spans, research has revealed.

They are reacting to growing concerns that spending too much time online can be harmful by taking control of their own social media and smartphone use rather than relying on parents to enforce limits, according to experts.