Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean backs Peep Show star Isy Suttie’s campaign on smartphone safety from social media harm
Hertford and Stortford MP Josh Dean joined TV’s Peep Show star Isy Suttie to discuss the dangers of smartphones and social media for children.
Parent groups and charities joined politicians at the meeting in the House of Commons on Tuesday (May 13).
Polling by Parentkind shows more than eight in 10 parents (83%) believe smartphones harm children, and a fifth of young people admit that social media use has made them feel “life is not worth living” at some point.
According to the charity, almost seven in 10 parents (69%) say limiting smartphone access would make family life easier. More than nine in 10 parents (93%) think social media is harmful to young people, with two-thirds (63%) describing it as “very harmful”.
During the meeting, Mr Dean spoke with celebrity campaigner Isy, who played Dobby in the hit Channel 4 comedy, about social media addiction and young people.
He told the Indie: “I hear regularly from parents concerned about the impact of smartphones and social media on children and young people.
“I was pleased to join campaigners in Parliament to hear some of the evidence from charities and experts working in this area that echoes what I’m hearing from residents in our community.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear evidence that social media has led to a fifth of young people nationwide feeling that life is not worth living at some point. This clearly cannot be allowed to continue, and parents are right to demand action. We must create a safer digital environment for the next generation.”
According to Parentkind, one in five older teenagers (18%) are exposed to suicide or self-harm content at least “once or twice a month”. Almost a third (31%) say they are exposed to “sexist, racist or homophobic opinions” monthly and nearly one in five (17%) receive “extremely violent or gory images” at least once or twice a month.
More than a third of older teenagers (35%) have been sent unwanted sexual images or messages by a stranger, with girls twice as likely to receive unwanted advances as boys (47% versus 23%).
The charity found that almost half of UK children (48%) have a smartphone by the time they start secondary school, with 92% owning one by their 15th birthday.
In his 2024 book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that the widespread adoption of smartphones and social media has led to a significant rise in mental health issues among young people.
