by HERE is how you can sign a petition from Brianna Ghey’s mother who wants to impose an age limit on smartphone use.
Esther Ghey is calling for a ban on social media apps on smartphones for under-16s after two youths were sentenced for her daughter’s murder.
Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe fatally shot Brianna in Culcheth Linear Park on February 11 last year.
The pair, now 16 but 15 at the time, were jailed for life with minimum terms of 22 and 20 years respectively on Friday, and a judge also lifted reporting restrictions that allow them to be named.
Jenkinson visited websites showing images of torture and extreme violence before murdering Brianna, and the killing itself was arranged on social messaging apps.
Speaking on the BBC on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Esther said safe phones for children to monitor children’s internet use ‘without a doubt’ saved her daughter’s life.
She is campaigning for new laws that ‘make mobile phone companies take more responsibility’ to help parents protect children online and monitor their internet use.
“I wish mobile phone companies would take more responsibility.
“It’s so hard for a parent to protect their children. They now carry cell phones in their pockets 24/7 – smartphones with all the internet and social media sites.
“It’s so hard to keep up with what they’re doing.
“We have set up a petition, which we would like all parents to sign, for a law to be introduced so that mobile phones are suitable for people under 16 years of age.
Brianna Ghey with her mother Esther
“If you’re over 16, you can have an adult’s phone. But if you’re down, you can have a kid’s phone without all the social media apps out there now.
“We’d also like to have software automatically downloaded onto parents’ phones that connects to children’s phones to highlight key words.
“There is software already available that is being used by schools. I think it’s a simple solution, and I don’t understand why we haven’t done something like this already.”
The petition is already close to reaching the 1,000 signature mark, and if you’d like to sign it, visit change.org/p/change-the-law-to-make-phone-companies-more-responsible-for-children-s-online-welfare
The reading of the petition is: “This petition arose out of a personal tragedy. On February 11, 2023, Brianna Ghey lost her life in an incident planned using the internet.
“Her killers had easy access to harmful content online, including the ‘dark web’, where they watched disturbing videos.
“Additionally, throughout her life, Brianna herself struggled with mental health issues and had secret access to pro-anorexia and self-harm sites on her smartphone.
“This story is a stark reminder of the potential dangers of unrestricted technology use for our children. It is not just about physical harm; it is also about psychological impact.
“The internet is filled with harmful content that children can easily access without sensible safeguards in place.
“We urge mobile phone companies to take responsibility for protecting children from the risks associated with the use of technology.
“We recommend an age limit on smartphone use and tighter controls on access to social media apps and unsupervised internet use.
Brianna Ghey
“According to Ofcom, 49 per cent of eight to 11 year olds have a smartphone. This early exposure can lead them into dangerous online territory if left unchecked.
“Smartphone use among young people has also been shown to affect mood, increasing the risk of depression and anxiety. It is time to protect our children from these potential harms in their digital lives.
“We ask you – parents, educators, concerned citizens – to join us in urging mobile phone companies to implement these changes for the safety of our children and future children.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was asked if such a proposal was practical. While speaking to broadcasters in Northern Ireland.
“My thoughts are with Brianna’s family,” he said, after the ‘horrible unspeakable act’.
“I hope the recent sentence brings a sense of justice,” he said.
“I think the other thing to say is how Brianna’s mother has responded in the face of this tragedy, with compassion and empathy, I think it’s really extraordinary.”
He praised her ‘enormous amount of humanity in the face of something that is the worst of humanity’, adding: “She deserves huge credit for that.”
He continued: “As a parent, I’m always concerned about social media and what my young girls are exposed to.
“That’s why I’m delighted that we passed the Online Safety Act last year, which means the regulator now has tough new powers to control what children are exposed to online.
“If the big social media companies don’t comply, the regulator can impose very significant fines on them, and the priority now is to make sure the act is up and running.”
