In early March I was invited and attended an event in the constituency of the Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Hunt in Godalming and Ash, Surrey. The discussion was about legislation in Parliament to ban social media for under-16s.

An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill had been introduced by the Conservative peer Lord Nash. It was passed in the House of Lords by 261–150 but was rejected by the House of Commons.

Sir Jeremy said there is ‘no bigger issue for parents than a smartphone’, calling social media a ‘really big concern’. He referred to real life examples involving TikTok where children had seizures or life-changing burns. His concerns were echoed by the Rt Hon Laura Trott (Shadow Secretary of State for Education) and she conveyed her worries with the rising use of technology in schools.

Dr Susie Davies, founder of PAPAYA (Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents) warned: ‘We are in a mental health epidemic’. Constant access leaves teens twice as likely to experience anxiety and raises the risk of depression by 40%.

Ginevra, Lower Sixth