Smartphones ban may cause more harm than good, says Molly Russell’s father

Ian Russell says parental controls could weaken trust and ‘punish children for tech firms’ failures’

• Ian Russell: Tech companies need to change

Government proposals to ban the sale of smartphones to under-16s and raise the minimum age for accessing social media risk causing more harm than good, the father of Molly Russell has warned.

Ian Russell said it was “no surprise” there is a groundswell of pressure for tougher regulation of social media platforms but said plans for a fresh crackdown were flawed.