Fife MP wants to hear parents' views on the Safer Phones Bill

And that's those of us who remember the days when we functioned perfectly well without them - imagine how the younger generations feel.

That's why many parents resist giving their children smartphones as long as they can, and try to limit their screen time thereafter.

But it's impossible to stem the technological tide and teenagers would feel socially ostracised without a phone.

There are benefits, of course – we can call our children anytime, anywhere, and thanks to GPS tracking we can even steal a quick look to see where they are.

But when it comes to social media, we simply don’t know what harms they are being exposed to and in some tragic cases, parents only realise when it’s far too late. Bullying doesn’t stop at the school gates anymore.

Social media apps gather users’ data with the simple aim of driving up engagement. Algorithms don’t care if content provokes anger or likes – any reaction is a good reaction.

If social media use leads to children being exposed to inappropriate adult content, or left feeling socially isolated, or becoming addicted, again platforms don’t raise a red flag.

A growing body of evidence, however, now shows the negative impact smartphone use can have on a child’s mental health, sleep, learning and performance - and it’s thanks to this research that tech giants seem more willing now to co-operate with age restrictions, simply because their reputations are at stake.

The Safer Phones Bill, which has been brought forward by Josh MacAlister MP and is proceeding through parliament, will likely propose to raise the age of internet adulthood from 13 to 16 years old. This will in effect make it impossible for social media sites to harvest children’s data without parental consent.

It would also strengthen the powers of Ofcom, the regulator, to protect children from “addictive by design” apps.

I welcome a national debate on this issue – and would very much like to hear views from parents in the Glenrothes and Mid Fife constituency.

Please email me at [email protected]