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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Technology
Mabel Banfield-Nwachi

‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood

Daisy Greenwell United Kingdom WhatsApp Brianna Ghey Ofcom
Children with their smartphones in school
Ofcom research found that 91% of children in the UK own a smartphone by the time they are 11. Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

More than 4,000 parents have joined a group committed to barring young children from having smartphones, as concerns grow about online safety and the impact of social media on mental health.

The WhatsApp group Smartphone Free Childhood was created by the former school friends Clare Fernyhough and Daisy Greenwell in response to their fears around children’s smartphone use and the “norm” of giving children smart devices when they go to secondary school.

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