CAMPAIGNING parents are demanding Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer restrict the sale of "addictive" smartphone products to under-16s.
Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered 16-year-old Brianna, is among those calling for tougher regulation.
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 seize this pivotal moment by giving a strong election commitment to remove the sources of harm by legally restricting the supply and marketing of addictive-by-design smartphone products and social media platforms to children up to the end of Key Stage Four."
Children are in Key Stage Four until the age of 16.
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The parents warn health and social issues from smartphone addiction will “plague our children for years to come” unless action is taken.
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.
