Take mobiles away from kids at night, says minister

PARENTS should not let their children use mobile phones in their bedrooms overnight, the Culture Secretary has said.

Matt Hancock argued that the ‘digital age’ is one of the hardest times ever to be a parent.

He said teachers are worried about children using mobile devices in their bedrooms when they should be asleep.

‘In my view, of course they shouldn’t. But I’m not going to legislate to say they mustn’t have access to phones overnight,’ he added.

Mr Hancock recently revealed that he hides his family’s mobile phones in a box in his kitchen – and asks guests to do the same. His children are allowed online only to do their homework.

Last week it emerged that there had been a surge in nursery-school children glued to devices which allow them to broadcast themselves live to anyone, with the content sometimes falling into the hands of paedophiles.

Mr Hancock said: ‘I think it’s one of the hardest times to be a parent because there’s new technology that often children understand better than grown-ups.’