EE, which is owned by BT, said it aims to improve children's "digital wellbeing" after receiving increasing requests for guidance from parents.

It said that under-11s should be given "non-smart" devices that have similar capabilities as old brick phones.

The recommendation - announced for the start of the new school year - comes amid growing concern about the effects of smartphone and internet usage on children's mental health and behaviour.

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Smartphone Free Childhood is a parent-led movement on a mission to protect millions of children from the dangers of using smartphones too young.

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Contrary to printed, online and social media - this report does not ban mobile phones in schools.

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Every minute of every day, everywhere on the planet, dozens of companies — largely unregulated, little scrutinized — are logging the movements of tens of millions of people with mobile phones and storing the information in gigantic data files.

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