A Derby County footballer who runs mentoring sessions in schools says Netflix show Adolescence has highlighted how parents may not know what their children are up to behind closed doors.

Midfielder Ben Osborn said the drama about a 13-year-old boy charged with the murder of a female classmate had done a good job highlighting some of the dangers children faced online.

Netflix has said it will make the series available to screen for free in secondary schools.

Osborn said while showing the programme in schools "isn't going to do any harm", it was key the issues opened up discussions for parents.

He said: "The scary thing about Adolescence is it blindsided the parents – the stuff that they're getting up to on social media or online, how can you police that?"

Osborn, of Spondon in Derby, visits primary and secondary schools through his company EFD Sport & Education, which he set up with former Nottingham Forest academy team-mate Jack Andrews.

He added: "Across the country, suspensions are at an all-time high, permanent exclusions are increasing year on year, and you are definitely seeing a rise in behavioural issues.

"If I spend an hour on X or social media, I'm confused, I don't know what to think because the algorithm gives you a load of different stuff.

"It's confusing, let alone if you're an impressionable teenager. It can be scary."

The enterprise has a team of mentors that visit schools in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire using sport to help improve behaviour, attendance and engagement.

Osborn said: "You have to educate young people because the world is changing, you can't just say log off your phones and let's live in this real world, but a lot of the time it's fake realities they're seeing online and that's the issue.

"Adolescence is a very difficult programme to watch but I'm pleased that it's showing people what life for some young people can be like.

"We've been talking about this for a long time and people are now seeing that for themselves. That's very welcome, but it's long overdue."

Two robbers who were thwarted in their attempt to rob a corner shop by a "courageous" father and son have been jailed for three years each.

Gary Brown, 38, thrust a Stanley knife towards a shopkeeper as he and Mark Robson, 43, tried to steal money from a store in South Shields in November, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

After initially managing to grab some cash, the pair were overpowered by the father and son who ran the shop.

Both the accused, of Beach Road in South Shields, admitted robbery with Brown also pleading guilty to possessing a knife.

The pair entered the shop at about 20:00 GMT on 17 November and demanded money, prosecutor Ian Cook said.

The shopkeepers, an adult father and son, were "showing some bravery" when they tackled and "got the better" of the robbers, Mr Cook said.

'Particularly unpleasant'

In statements read to the court, the shop owners said they were now fearful of future robberies and the risk that posed to their younger relatives who regularly worked there.

They had also spent a lot of money installing new security measures including a £70 a month panic button alarm system, the court heard.

In mitigation, the court heard both men were living in a hostel at the time, were fuelled by drink and were "deeply ashamed" of their actions.

Recorder Peter Makepeace KC said it was a "particularly unpleasant" crime which had had an ongoing impact on the victims.

He said the shopkeepers had shown "courage" but their fears for their younger workers were understandable.

Both Robson and Brown were also made subject to restraining orders banning them from contacting the two victims or going to the shop for 10 years.

A Bristol-based charity is hoping to make the city the first in the UK where smartphones are banned from all classrooms.

The charity Papaya – Parents Against Phone Addiction in Young Adolescents – is calling on parents to delay giving their children smartphones until at least the age of 14. Campaigners believe this could significantly improve young people's mental health.

The organisation is working with more than 100 schools in Bristol and has secured commitments from 10 institutions to implement stricter policies.

Dr Susie Davies, founder of Papaya, said: "We want them to have a phone-free environment in schools so they concentrate on their learning, but also socialising in breaktime."

Papaya predicts that by the start of the next school term, a majority of Bristol's secondary schools could be signed up to their smartphone-free initiative.

Dr Davies, who is also a Bristol-based GP, said: "We want Bristol to be a smart phone-free city, where children don't get their first smart phone until they're 14."

Papaya is supporting schools to enforce phone-free environments through tools like Yondr pouches and lock boxes.

"It gives young people an extra two to three years of childhood," Dr Davies explained.

"Time to play, to enjoy each other's company, and to concentrate on learning and social development without the distraction of constant notifications."