'Bigger issue' than banning smartphone for under 16s, says bereaved mother

A mother whose son took his own life says an outright ban on under 16s having a mobile phone wouldn't work and more needs to be done to tackle a "bigger issue". Ellen Roome said her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney took his life in April 2022. She fears he viewed harmful content on social media before his death, but she has been refused the right to access his social media. She has started a petition, calling for the law to be changed. A report from MPs is recommending the next government should consider a total ban on under-16s owning smartphones. But Ms Roome said there is a "bigger issue than an outright ban" and children would still be able to watch "shocking content" on other devices. For more on this story: https://news.sky.com/story/smartphone-ban-for-under-16s-should-be-considered-group-of-mps-suggests-13142777 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://www.youtube.com/skynews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skynews Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skynews Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skynews Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skynews For more content go to http://news.sky.com and download our apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-news/id316391924?mt=8 Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bskyb.skynews.android&hl=en_GB Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzG5BnqHO8oNlrPDW9CYJog To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales