Parents urged 'play with your child, not on your phone' by ad campaign in North East

Posters have gone up urging parents not to ignore their children for the sake of their smartphones.

The ads depict children looking bored and dejected next to adults on their phones, with the slogan "Play with me, not your phone".

More text beneath the images includes other messages.

One reads: “Help me be ready for nursery. Playing with me helps me learn to take turns and concentrate. It makes me feel special.”

Another says: "Looking at me whilst you feed me helps me to feel safe, secure and loved."

The posters are being displayed in Middlesbrough after the borough's council contracted a design company and booked advertising space for the campaign.

It comes after St Joseph’s RC Primary School, in Longlands, Middlesbrough, attracted national attention when it installed signs at the school gates asking parents to stay off their smartphones.