London:

A 33-year-old Indian-origin woman, who had earlier admitted to killing her 10-year-old daughter, was on Friday sentenced to an indefinite hospital order over her mental health concerns.

Jaskirat Kaur, also known as Jasmine Kang, was on March 4 charged with the murder of Shay Kang, who was found dead at their home in a town in the West Midlands region of England.

West Midlands Police said the girl had been found with injuries at an address in the town of Rowley Regis and pronounced dead at the scene.

Jaskirat Kaur denied murder and went on to plead guilty to her daughter’s manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

She has now been sentenced to a hospital order in a secure facility for an indefinite period after reports related to her mental health were submitted in court.

“This is a harrowing case for everyone involved. Jaskirat Kaur suffered a mental health episode at the time of the attack which led to her daughter’s death,” Detective Inspector Dan Jarratt from the West Midlands Police Homicide department said in a statement.

“Shay was a young girl with her whole life ahead of her. She has been described as a bright and happy child. Her death has had a profound impact on those who knew her as well as the wider community and our thoughts remain with everyone who loved her,” he said.

Kang was found dead at the home she shared with her mother on Robin Close after Kaur called emergency services to report the death. Officers arrived at the scene on March 4 and arrested the mother, who admitted to stabbing Shay the previous night. Following a forensic post-mortem, it was found Shay was stabbed multiple times to the chest.

Brickhouse Primary School, where Shay was a pupil, issued a statement at the time to say the school was deeply saddened by the tragic death.

“Shay was a bright, happy, fun-loving child who was well liked by all, and she will be very sadly missed by everyone,” read the statement.

Tributes including toys, cards and balloons poured in and some parents of children who attended the same school had set up an online Go Fund Me fundraiser to collect money for Shay’s funeral.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

One of Britain’s biggest mobile network operators said on Sunday it will warn parents they should not give smartphones to children under the age of 11.

The new guidance comes after growing concern from parents about the potential pitfalls of smartphone access for young people.

A recent study by the UK communications regulator found around a quarter of British children aged between five and seven-years-old now had a smartphone.

EE will say in new guidance that children should only be given phones with “limited capability devices” allowing them only to text and call.

It will also advise enabling parental control features for teens under the age of 16 and restrictions on social media for the under-13s.

UK parents have increasingly started to push back against the trend of giving children one of the devices when they transfer from primary to secondary school at the age of 11.

Widely justified on safety grounds in case of an emergency on the way to or from school, parents fear the phones also potentially open children up to online predators, bullying, social pressure and harmful content.

“While technology and connectivity have the power to transform lives, we recognise the growing complexity of smartphones can be challenging for parents and caregivers,” said Mat Sears, EE corporate affairs director.

“They need support, which is why we are launching new guidelines on smartphone usage for under 11s, 11 to 13-year-olds, and 13 to 16-year-olds to help them make the best choices for their children through these formative years.”

US author Jonathan Haidt — whose recent book “The Anxious Generation” argued that smartphones have rewired children’s brains — has urged parents to act together on smartphone access so it becomes the norm for children not to have one.

A child “breaks our heart” by telling us they are excluded from their peer group by being the only one without a phone, he said earlier this year.

Mr Haidt advocates for no smart phones before the age of 14 or social media before 16.

“These things are hard to do as one parent. But if we all do it together — if even half of us do it together — then it becomes much easier for our kids,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)