As a mum of a 16-year-old daughter, I always worry about what she sees online, the life she leads on social media and the effect it has on her mental health.

Whether we like it or not, teenagers live their lives through social media. The constant picture taking, chatting with friends, group discussions, organising meet-ups or just generally talking about friendships and school problems is the norm for them.

Being a parent is a tricky job, and we try to keep our children safe.

We instinctively hold their hand when we cross the road, or put a seatbelt on to keep them safe in the car. But this online world is new to us parents. We didn’t have this when we were growing up and because it isn’t something we can see or have access to, we don’t really have any idea of what our kids get up to online.

But the tech giants do.

Now, I’m not saying I need to know everything that my daughter gets up to online because, well, she deserves her privacy.

But, we need to keep our kids safe and cannot do it alone.

The online space can be an amazing place, one where you can gain new friends, new skills and learn new things. I am an active user on all the social media platforms. But it isn’t always a great place to be.

A new report published today by the Royal College of Psychiatrists is asking social media and tech giants to hand over their data collected to universities for independent research into the harms and benefits of social media use.

Children with mental health problems is at an all time high and services are at breaking point. Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is so stretched.

But why are so many children having problems?

The little devices they hold in their hands, can cause so much stress, from having the latest smartphone, trolling, cyberbullying (which is now accessible 24/7), trying to compete with a seemingly ‘perfect’ lifestyle portrayed on social media, keeping up with the latest celebrity or fashion trends and social media influencers making money from their accounts, it’s all so much pressure.

Sadly, anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide are on the rise. Being a teenager has always been tough, but now it’s even harder.

My daughter regularly says to me ‘I wish I was a kid in the eighties, you were lucky because you didn’t have all these problems and pressures back then’.

Our data is being collected all the time, from every website we click on, using bank cards, even putting your car reg into a pay and display machine. All aspect of our lives are being monitored and every bit of information companies can get their hands on, they are taking it without us really realising what for. Even if we do click on the ‘accept’ button that pops up on websites (including mine).

So with that in mind, these massive social media companies have a duty to their users, especially the younger ones. It’s no good just saying you have to be a certain age to use that particular platform, they have to implement stricter rules, remove harmful content and help keep our children safe. And if that means sharing the data that they collect from us, then they need to do that as soon as possible.

Surely using the data collected from the users for something good would benefit and make our children’s lives better, happier and more enjoyable is the right thing to do and that information should be offered without question.

In its report, the Royal College of Psychiatrists says a proposed 2% levy on the UK revenues of major tech companies does not go far enough.

Instead, it wants the so-called "turnover tax" to apply to international turnover, and for some of the money from it to be used for mental health research.

The co-author of the report has now called on the government to step up its action by forcing an independent regulator to pass data gathered from smartphones and devices on to researchers to study.

From the Royal College of Psychiatrists website:

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the child and adolescent faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and co-author of the report, said:

“As a psychiatrist working on the frontline, I am seeing more and more children self-harming and attempting suicide as a result of their social media use and online discussions.

“We will never understand the risks and benefits of social media use unless the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram share their data with researchers. Their research will help shine a light on how young people are interacting with social media, not just how much time they spend online.

“Self-regulation is not working. It is time for government to step-up and take decisive action to hold social media companies to account for escalating harmful content to vulnerable children and young people.”

The data collected would be anonymous and include the nature of content viewed, as well as the amount of time users are spending on social media platforms.

The story of Molly Russell who was 14 when she died days before her birthday after viewing graphic self-harm and suicide material on Instagram is utterly heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to her family and her dad, Ian Russell, has backed the report calling for companies to share data and pay towards research into the technology's potential harms.

This is a message to the big social media companies… Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat… You are massive companies with millions of users, you allow people to share their lives online, please share the data you have gathered and help us keep our children safe online.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email: jo@samaritans.org, visit a local branch or visit samaritans.org

Internet Matters is a great website which has tips and advice for parents to help keep children safe online.