Quarter of UK’s three- and four-year-olds own a smartphone, data shows

A 4th of three- and four-year-olds successful nan UK now ain a smartphone, while half of children nether 13 are connected societal media, according to caller information that comes arsenic ministers see banning each children nether 16 from owning a mobile phone.

The figures, from nan communications regulator Ofcom, show precocious and rising rates of online activity by children of infant-school age, pinch 38% of five- to seven-year-olds utilizing societal media, compared pinch 30% a twelvemonth ago, and 76% of them utilizing a tablet.

The findings will boost nan statement of those adjacent to Rishi Sunak who person been urging him to clamp down connected telephone and societal media usage by young children.

Ministers will motorboat a consultation connected what measures to return wrong weeks, according to authorities sources.

The consultation will see a connection to prohibition mobile telephone income to under-16s, 1 to make it easier for parents to put parental controls connected devices, and 1 to raise nan minimum property for societal media sites from 13 to arsenic precocious arsenic 16. Ofcom besides recovered that half of children aged 3 to 12 usage astatine slightest 1 societal media app, contempt nan minimum property request of 13.

Michelle Donelan, nan exertion secretary, said successful a statement: “Children arsenic young arsenic 5 should not beryllium accessing societal media, and these stark findings show why our Online Safety Act is essential.

“Most platforms opportunity they do not let under-13s connected to their sites, and nan enactment will guarantee companies enforce these limits aliases they could look monolithic fines. If they neglect to comply pinch Ofcom decisions and support children safe, their bosses could look prison.”

She added: “Protecting children online is our No 1 privilege and we will not hesitate to build connected nan enactment to support them safe.”

The figures travel amid increasing grounds of nan effect of wide societal media usage among children. The US authorities has warned that societal media poses a “profound risk” to nan intelligence wellness and wellbeing of children and teenagers, pinch nan number of children and adolescents dealing pinch slump and worry having risen almost 30% successful caller years.

Jonathan Haidt, a US world whose book The Anxious Generation has been cited arsenic influencing No 10’s reasoning connected children and societal media, told nan Guardian nan mobile telephone ownership figures were “very disturbing”. Ofcom investigation besides showed astir a 4th of five- to seven-year-olds owned a smartphone.

Michelle Donelan, nan exertion secretary, said nan figures showed why nan government’s Online Safety Act had been essential. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

“Something must beryllium done to reverse this trend,” said Haidt, a societal scientist astatine New York University’s Stern School of Business. He added that parents should activity pinch schools to group a caller norm: “Don’t springiness children a smartphone earlier nan extremity of secondary education, astir property 16.”

Child online information campaigners besides called connected nan authorities to act. The Molly Rose Foundation said Ofcom had to ace down connected platforms that “turn a unsighted eye” to property requirements, while nan NSPCC called for “robust enforcement” of nan Online Safety Act, which has provisions connected enforcing societal media property limits.

Joe Ryrie, co-founder of nan group Smartphone Free Childhood, said nan statistic showed that societal media and smartphone usage “is a systemic problem and it’s only getting worse.”

Ofcom’s yearly study of children’s online habits besides recovered nan proportionality of five- to seven-year-olds sending messages aliases making sound and video calls had risen from 59% to 65% compared pinch a twelvemonth ago. The number of children successful that cohort utilizing WhatsApp roseate from 29% to 37% and nan proportionality utilizing TikTok accrued from 25% to 30%.

Overall, 96% of each children aged betwixt 3 and 17 spell online, pinch nan immense mostly of nan 4% who are still offline being aged 3 aliases four. Even among that demographic – nan youngest children surveyed – 84% usage nan internet.

Generally, younger children who are allowed online usage a tablet, while secondary-school-age children are much apt to person a smartphone, pinch much than 95% of 12- to 15-year-olds being fixed their ain mobile phone.

The smartphone figures were based connected an Ofcom study of 2,480 parents of children aged betwixt 3 and 17. It defined a smartphone arsenic a handset that allows individuals to easy download apps, position websites and mostly spell online.