'Depression and have soared'

As smartphone use by teens sparks mental health concerns, new talks to parents who ban their kids from having one

- HANNAH BRITT & MEL FALLOWFIELD

Youth worker Sophie Sullivan is happy for her 16-year-old daughter to travel alone to Australia, but she won't let her or her four siblings have their own smartphones. While she admits to being addicted to her own phone, she has banned her children from having one until they have finished their GCSEs.

She's in good company, too. Prince William has revealed that Prince George, 12, doesn't have a smartphone and may only have a “brick” phone when he starts secondary school. But according to Ofcom, 97% of children in the UK do have smartphones by his age.