Communications regulator Ofcom is preparing to consult on a set of proposals to ensure children are better protected online. This follows results from its annual study, which reveals young children are increasingly online and given more digital independence by parents.

Many adults will readily admit that they spend more time on their smartphones than they should. Time seeps away as we scroll through various apps. Go anywhere these days – on a train, waiting in a queue or eating lunch in a cafe – and you’ll find people heads down and eyes on their phone.

But what about our children? They are growing up with technology, but are we giving them access to technology too early and unsupervised at that?

Ofcom has released some startling statistics from its annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds. For instance, around a quarter chilldren aged five to seven (24%) now own a smartphone, while three-quarters (76%) use a tablet.

Compared to Ofcom’s study last year, a...