Yorkshire parents are backing plans to ban social media for under-16s - but new research suggests many remain unconvinced the move will actually keep their children safe online.

Yorkshire parents have backed calls for a social media ban for under-16s – but more than four in ten are not convinced it will work.

New research has found 68 per cent of parents across the region support a complete ban, compared with 73 per cent nationally, while just 54 per cent believe the Government’s proposed measures will be effective.

The study from Leeds-based telecoms business 24 Seven revealed more than a quarter of parents nationally said concerns about their child’s online safety had caused them sleepless nights, with the biggest worries being children being targeted by strangers, cyberbullying and exposure to inappropriate content.

Only 14 per cent of parents trust social media companies to keep their children safe.

David Samuel, founder and managing director of 24 Seven said: “There is a clear disconnect here. Parents want a total ban yet don’t have faith in the government to deliver it. Therefore, we need to also consider how technology can play its part.

“This distrust of Governments, regulators and big-tech in terms of who should shoulder responsibility is worrying. In fact, our polling showed that the only people parents really trusted with their child’s safety was themselves.

“While the Government are set to legislate on the matter, and social media companies claim to be able to protect children, what’s missing is a tool that gives parents the control they desire over their child’s online usage.

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“When it comes to banning social media for under-16s, we need to view this a mobile-first challenge. Mobile devices introduce the most risk for under 16s because usage can be unsupervised and outside of the home environment.”

The poll also revealed the scale of the challenge, with 60 per cent of parents allowing their children to have over one hour of unsupervised screen time per day.

Mr Samuel added: “While Government can count on the support of British parents for this initiative, the bigger challenge is now convincing them that it can be effective.

“Where we’ve seen social media bans come into force in other countries, notably Australia, the adoption has been a different story, with studies showing that up to 80 per cent of 10-16 year olds are still accessing social media.

“More needs to be done now by technology experts – outside of the social media giants themselves - who will be able to step in and help parents to ensure that adoption is much higher. Without this, there is a real risk the issue will continue to build.

“There is a contradiction at the heart of parent’s views on online safety. It is clearly a massive worry for parents, with more than a quarter having lost sleep on the issue, but there is general scepticism about how to manage the problem. “