Are our smartphones causing more harm than good? Viewpoint from Leamington columnist

When mobile phones came in they were the size of a brick, difficult to manage but were lauded as the big advance in communication. They meant that conversations could be had that much quicker for business people and social calls to relatives and friends were made that much easier. Not everyone could afford one but they were convenient, secure and calls could be made away from the office or home.

How things have changed over the years with progress to smaller smartphones and the onset of social media. Nowadays there is grave concern among parents and ever louder protests about the dangers to children posed by content shown on websites and social media platforms.

Surely enough is enough. Young children and teenagers are exposed to bullying, personal abuse, self-harm and even suicide, causing extreme stress and anxiety. Worries about body shape, being popular and liked, and what is said about them on social media can go on non-stop, 24 hours-a-day, every day building up unbearable pressure.

It has to stop. What was to have been a quicker, easier form of communication has been eroded by the bullying, online threats by trolls, and personal abuse on social media. It is driven by companies pursuing profits and in no great hurry to take these awful, damaging messages down.

And the problem is too many young people keep their concerns to themselves unaware of the harm to their well-being and the possible damage to their mental state. Parents are often unaware of the symptoms and fail to recognise what is often a call for help. “I'm fine” is no information, dig deeper, talk quietly, and seek an understanding so children feel able to open up and share their anxiety and stress.

Serious concerns about the impact of social media were brought into sharp focus by the Coroner’s court inquest a month ago into the death of schoolgirl Molly Russell when it was ruled for the first time that social media had contributed to a child's death. And this week, '3 Dads Walking' who lost three daughters to suicide, called for “suicide prevention lessons in schools” and appealed to parents to question their kids directly about their anxieties and worries.

How many more young people have to die? How much longer must we wait for legislation to stop damaging information going out to kids? It is time for action. The current situation has gone on too long and these social media companies cannot be trusted to put their own house in order.

Coming before Parliament is a bill (delayed by the weeks Conservative Party members spent choosing a new leader) that will prevent negative messages on social media being shown to young children.

Many MPs feel it does not go far enough and it is to be strengthened, taking ever more time for it to get through the Commons.

Sadly, a device that held so much promise for good in the world 40 years ago has to be controlled and as ever, it is the parents who must take measures to keep their children safe from the media moguls.

They have to limit the use of smartphones, monitor the content, and give clear concise instructions as to their use.

Here I have only praise for cook Mary Berry who makes grandchildren coming into her home leave their mobile phones in the bread basket at the door. And to Channel 5 presenter Dave Walker, who made his three children sign a contract on how they could use their phones. They are not allowed to go to apps like Instagram, cannot have their phones in their rooms at night, and agree to have their phones content checked regularly.

It feels like a step back to Victorian attitudes. Although phone restrictions are never popular and often means kids feel they are left behind their friends, it teaches them a discipline and they understand that a smartphone is not a given right but a privilege, which can be forfeited if anyone breaks the rules.

Like many older readers, I do not have a mobile smartphone because I do not have a use for the add-ons or the apps. The number is only given to relatives and close friends. The land-line is good enough as a tool of communication. Recently, I have a neighbour subject to a scam via smartphone, and another who lost £40,000 in a health service scam due to a temporary loss of concentration. It takes only one lapse: a neighbour was lucky but the other lost his savings.

There are over one and a half million people without a smartphone, some in care homes, others in hospital, some with dementia, and many more unable to use them due to one disability or another.

Often they are under pressure from suppliers to use phones to confirm their identity, to gain access to premises, secure essential services, and make tap as you go purchases.

No doubt, as time goes on, reluctantly, I will have to give into the pressure from technology and move on to a smartphone in much the same way as the banks find ways of making one go online. I miss my old portable typewriter, which probably says it all!