The UK Government is drawing up plans to ban the sale of smartphones to children under the age of 14. The Government was thought to be planning the move, even before last summer’s riots, which are thought to have been largely coordinated through the use of mobile phones in general, and RIM’s BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) service in particular. It stems from concerns that children are becoming addicted to their phones, leaving them unable to sleep, and to concentrate in lessons at school.

But the move is likely to face fierce opposition from civil liberties groups, mobile operators and handset makers and retailers. Anne Droid, who represents Mobile Underground Group, which is committed to safeguarding the interests of smartphone users globally, told Mobile Marketing: “There is simply no way they will get this through, and even if they did, there are hundreds of thousands of kids out there under the age of 14 who already have smartphones. What are they supposed to do? Throw them in the bin? We will be fighting this proposal tooth and nail.”

It’s thought the Government plans to put legislation in place before the summer to avoid a repeat of last summer’s problems. We’ll have more news as we get it.