ONE in four children spends more than four hours a day online — even though most schools ban phones, a report reveals.

Their growing obsession has led the Children’s Commissioner for England to warn harmful content is slipping through the net at home.

Dame Rachel de Souza argued schools were just one part of the solution and parents should be better supported in setting appropriate boundaries for screen time.

The poll found a quarter of eight to 15-year-olds spent four hours on phones, tablets and consoles each day.

Another fifth spent three to four hours a day on the devices, it also revealed.

A second poll for Dame Rachel found 90 per cent of secondary schools and 99.8 per cent of primary schools already imposed phone restrictions.

Despite this, online safety is still a top worry for teachers.

Daniel Kebede, of the National Education Union, urged the Government to ban phones in schools.

He added that Britain should follow Australia — where social media will soon be banned for children aged under 16.

The commissioner called for the Online Safety Act to go further, saying: “It must hold technology companies to account.”

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