Rebekah Wershbale, from Macclesfield, has not let her 10-year-old daughter have a smartphone but is worried about her being isolated from her peers.

“It does concern me that she is going to feel like she doesn’t have anything in common with them,” she says.

“Because if they’re spending more time online and she isn’t, she’s going to feel left behind socially.”

Her daughter hates her no-phone rules and it has become a real point of contention, Ms Wershbale says, but children do not understand how apps are designed to be addictive and banning them in all schools is a “no brainer”.

Social-media companies, including Snapchat and Meta, have previously said they have extra protections for under-18s and help parents control what their children see.

Earlier this month, Instagram also launched Teen Accounts, where 13-15-year-olds are given private accounts by default and protections to help them manage their time on the app.

Meta, Snapchat and TikTok have not responded to BBC News’s request for further comment.