Child phone usage should be "limited" says Lancashire parent
It comes as nearly a quarter of children across the UK spend 4 hours a day on electronic devices
Nearly a quarter of children spend more than four hours a day on an internet-enabled device, a survey for the Children's Commissioner has suggested.
One in four (25%) spend two to three hours a day on such a device, while a fifth (20%) spend three to four hours a day, according to the survey which was carried out in March and April.
We've been speaking with parents and grandparents in Wigan about phone usage for kids, and how much screen time children should have.
"When we were young, we played out! Had friends, and I think it isolates them." One parent said.
Another said "I don't know how you get them off their phones, but it is too much. It's spoiling conversations and they are growing up relying on their phones too much."
A third said that parents should simply "Limit them".
Dame Rachel de Souza has called for "stronger action" to protect children from harmful content online beyond the classroom - including a possible social media ban for children under 16, or restricting smartphone use for all children.
A YouGov poll, of children in England aged eight to 15, found that 23% spend more than four hours a day using an internet-enabled device with a screen - such as a computer, phone, tablet or gaming console.
A separate survey by the Commissioner, of more than 15,000 state schools in England, suggests that the majority of schools are implementing phone policies suggested by the Department for Education (DfE).
Schools in England were given non-statutory Government guidance in February last year intended to stop the use of phones during the school day.
The research found that 90% of secondary schools surveyed - and 99.8% of primary schools surveyed - already have policies in place that restrict pupils' use of mobile phones during the school day.
A parent in Wigan on this said how there are "Calls to stop children going into schools with phones, which I think is a good thing. They go to school to learn"
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