More than four in five British 16 to 24 year olds would keep their kids off social media, research shows.

Some 62% of Generation Z - the first generation to come of age in the smartphone era - believe social media does more harm than good for young people, according to a poll by the New Britain Project and National Education Union. Half of those surveyed said they spent too much time on their phone during childhood and more than a third wished they had waited longer before using social media.

Some three-quarters said stronger rules were needed to protect young people from social media harms. It comes as legislation to tackle the addictiveness of smartphones among children is watered down.

MP Josh MacAlister’s safer phones bill, which will be debated in the Commons on Friday, will no longer ban smartphones in schools or force social media firms to make content less addictive for under 16s. The legislation will now instruct the chief medical officer Chris Whitty to look at the health impact of phones instead of committing the government to action. Mr Whitty will publish advice for parents on the use of smartphones and social media by children.

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The bill also calls on the Government to state whether they are going to raise the age at which children can consent for their data to be shared without parental permission within 12 months of passing the Act.

Former teacher Mr MacAlister said it would be "the most serious engagement" by the Government on issues relating to smartphone and social media use if the measures in his Bill are supported. He said: "I've worked with the Government over the last couple of weeks to get to the point where I can put a Bill forward that's likely to get Government support, and I'm optimistic that (on Friday) they will back the measures that are in the bill."

But the leader of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign - where parents have been pushing to change the culture around children and smartphones over the past year - said the final provisions were "nowhere near enough". Meanwhile, the have accused the Government of making "ponderous progress" on the issue, and they suggested that the Government has succeeded in pushing for the Bill to be "watered down".

Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: "Announcing further reviews is no substitute for decisive urgent action to tackle preventable harm, which can only mean a strengthened Online Safety Act. A reworked Act is the best vehicle to deliver both child safety and wellbeing objectives by design.”

On the polling, Luke Tryl, Executive Director at More in Common said: “Far from feeling empowered by smartphones and social media this research shows that many Gen Z Britons regret the time they spent on their devices and wish they’d waited longer to access social media - so much so they would try and keep their own children off social media for as long as possible - but they personally now feel they would struggle to quit."

Anna McShane, Director of The New Britain Project said: "This isn't just parents worrying about their kids, young people themselves are saying social media has become more addictive, more negative, and more harmful. They’ve grown up with it, and now they’re warning us about its dangers."

A Department for Science, Innovation and (DSIT) spokesman said: "We are committed to keeping young people safe online whilst also ensuring they can benefit from the latest technology. By the summer robust new protections for children will be in force through the Online Safety Act to protect them from harmful content and ensure they have an age-appropriate experience online. The Government's response to the private member's bill will follow during the second reading of the Bill, as per parliamentary process."

::: More in Common polled 1,675 16-24 year olds between February 14 and March 2.

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