About a quarter of British children aged five to seven now own a smartphone, a study by Britain’s communications regulator said on Friday.

The findings come as parents have begun to push back against the trend of letting younger children use the devices.

Research by Ofcom authorities found that 38% of children in this age group use social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Whatsapp, despite regulations requiring users to be at least 13 years old.

The study also found that the number of people of the same age watching live content increased from 39% to about half.

Ofcom said parents’ concerns appeared to have increased significantly but “enforcement of the rules appears to be weakening”.

This may be due to adults “giving up the ability to intervene in children’s online lives,” the report said.

Science Minister Michelle Donelan called the findings “quite obvious”.

Online safety legislation passed by Parliament last October aims to combat harmful content, including online child sexual abuse.

“Five-year-olds shouldn’t have access to social media,” Donelan said.

She added: “Most platforms have said they do not allow children under 13 on their sites and the Online Safety Act will ensure companies enforce these restrictions or risk hefty fines.”

-“Enormous pressure”-

Under the new law, tech companies could face fines of up to 10% of global revenue for breaking the rules, while bosses could be jailed.

The research comes after a mother’s Instagram post sparked a backlash from British parents this year after it went viral.

Daisy Greenwell posted that she learned from another parent that her 11-year-old son had his own smartphone and that a third of the students in the boys’ class also had their own smartphones. Very shocked.

“This conversation fills me with fear. I don’t want to give my child something that I know will damage her mental health and make her addictive,” she wrote.

“But I also knew that the pressure to do this would be enormous if the rest of her class felt that way,” she added.

Thousands of parents immediately contacted to express their own concerns that the devices could expose them to predators, cyberbullying, social pressure and harmful content. The result was the launch of the Parents United for a Smartphone-Free Childhood campaign.

American writer Jonathan Haidt said in his new book “The Anxious Generation” that smartphones have reshaped children’s brains, and he urged parents to take action together to provide smartphone use services for their children.

He said last month it was “heartbreaking” for one child to tell us they were the only ones without a mobile phone and therefore excluded from their peer group. Haidt advocates no smartphone use before the age of 14 and no use of social media before the age of 16.

“As a parent, these things are hard to do. But if we all do it together — even if half of us do it together — then it becomes a lot easier for our kids,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)