Adolescence writer Jack Thorne has called for a ban on selling smartphones to under-16s, saying they must be kept from kids 'in whatever way possible'. Thorne, who co-wrote the drama with star Stephen Graham, has an eight-year-old son, Elliott, who he hopes to keep from owning a smartphone until he turns 14. Research for the drama took Thorne to the dark corners of the toxic online manosphere frequented more and more by young men. Thorne argued that creating better role models for young men could take years, while certain crucial preventative measures can be implemented immediately.