Almost a quarter of 5 to 7 year olds have a smartphone

Ofcom warns that parental enforcement of rules "appeared to be diminishing,” in the latest statistics around young people and social media use.

Transcript

00:00Almost a quarter of children aged between 5 and 7 have a smartphone.

00:07That's according to data from Ofcom, with the communications body warning enforcement

00:10of rules appeared to be diminishing.

00:13It comes as research reveals two in five parents say their children don't play outdoors independently

00:18because there are no safe walking or cycling routes, while half say their worries about

00:22the safety of society has impacted how much independence their child is able to have.

00:27School development experts are encouraging parents to switch their children's screen

00:31time for sunshine over the school's summer holidays this year, in favour of benefits

00:35like better sleep, greater attention spans and improved mood.

00:39The study also found almost half believe that the younger generations do not understand

00:43the basics of nature, gardening and the natural environment, referred to as the grass ceiling,

00:49while over half of those in Gen Z said they couldn't name five common garden insects or

00:53tell the difference between a marigold and a petunia.

00:56If you're a parent, do you regret giving your child a smartphone and what are the pros

01:00and cons of screen time for children in your opinion?