Childminders in the UK are increasingly being banned from using their smartphones on the job

Could you go an entire working day without sneaking a look at your phone?

Many workplaces bar employees from using their phones on the job and in an emerging trend, lots of parents in London are now seeking to curtail their nannies' smartphone use. Mums and dads are increasingly concerned about childminders being distracted by social media at work and many now want theirs to commit to not using their phones while minding kids. Kate Baker, co-founder of south London private childcare service Abbeville Nannies, has said that 20 clients have in the last year asked for a smartphone clause to be included in their nannies' contracts. "It is about nannies and their attention straying," she told The Times. "(Parents are) saying, ‘We don’t want you to be texting your friends or being constantly on your phone while looking after the kids in the background'." Agencies have also reported that families are often now requesting older nannies as they believe they'll be less likely to be looking at a smartphone throughout the day. Banning minders from using their phones can also help to prevent embarrassment for a family, according to Louise Taylor of Kensington Nannies. "(The smartphone ban clause) is to stop that thing where a neighbour says: ‘I saw your nanny walking down the street and she was talking on the phone and no one was paying attention to the child,'" she said.