Rishi Sunak is under pressure to rethink a radical crackdown on smartphone and social media use by children after a backlash from the technology industry. Senior telecoms executives have hit out at plans to block under-16s from buying smartphones, which they claim are “not practical or logical in any way”. Technology companies have already engaged in preliminary talks with Government officials about their plans, which revolve around restrictions on mobile use. This is in response to concerns that they are distracting children in schools and fuelling a mental health crisis. Downing Street and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are currently crafting a consultation to ask parents and businesses what restrictions they would like to see on phone use. The consultation is expected to include questions about a potential ban on the sale of phones to under-16s and the need for parental approval when teenagers download social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram. However, other more stringent proposals that were expected to feature in the consultation are now expected to be removed following pushback from the tech sector. One suggestion by government officials was a possible digital alert for parents if their children searched for dangerous or disturbing...