Brianna Ghey’s mum leads calls for Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer to ban sale of smart phones to under-16s
CAMPAIGNING parents are demanding Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer stop smartphone sales to under-16s.
Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered 16-year-old Brianna, is among those calling for the ban.
Britain’s strictest headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh from Michaela Community School, London, has also signed a letter to the Tory and Labour leaders.
It says: “We call on you to commit to taking action in the next parliament to protect our children from the serious harms being caused by smartphone addiction, social media and other corrosive online content.”
The parents warn health and social issues from smartphone addiction will “plague our children for years to come”.
They add: “We call on you to give a strong election commitment to legally restricting the supply and marketing of smartphones and social media platforms to children up to the end of Key Stage Four.”
Other signatories include Liam Walsh — whose daughter Maia was found dead after seeing self-harm content online — and Amanda and Stuart Stephens, whose son Olly was fatally stabbed in 2021 in a dispute over social media.
Campaigner Molly Kingsley said: “Seven years after the Online Safety Bill was first conceived, the UK still does not have effective measures in place.
“This is a catastrophic child safeguarding failure.”
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron backed a proposed ban on the use of smartphones by under-11s and social media by under-15s.