Plan to ban smartphones in schools scrapped

Telegraph

07-03-2025

A proposed legal ban on mobile phones in schools has been dropped from a backbench Bill to secure Government support.
Former teacher Josh MacAlister, the MP for Whitehaven and Workington, has ditched proposals for a legal requirement for all schools to be mobile-free zones in his Private Member's Bill after the Government signalled that it was unlikely to back the plan.
Peter Kyle, the Technology Secretary, has said that such a ban is unnecessary as headteachers have already introduced their own measures to ban or restrict use of phones in schools.
The move has, however, disappointed some campaigners and schools who argue that tougher action is needed to curb children's use of smartphones and access to social media.
Mr MacAlister has also shelved Australian-style proposals in his Bill which would have restricted children under 16 from social media without parental consent unless the platforms ditched their 'addictive' features. Australia is introducing similar legislation to ban children under 16 from having access to social media
His redrafted Bill, to be debated on Friday in the House of Commons, instead says that the Government should come back within a year to say whether it will raise the digital age of consent from 13 to 16 – meaning online companies could not receive children's data without parental permission until that age.
The Bill also requires the chief medical officers in England, Wales and Scotland to put out guidance on the use of smartphones and social media use by children within 12 months.
The Education Secretary will also have to come up with a plan for research into the impact of use of social media on children within 12 months.
However, dropped from the Bill are proposals to strengthen Ofcom's powers to crackdown on apps and services that addict children to the technology and further regulation of the design, supply, marketing and use of mobile phones by under 16s.
After watering down his Bill, Mr MacAlister said he was now 'focused on the areas where we can get Government support so that we actually get some action in this area.'
'If the Government supports the measures that are in the Bill then it will be the most serious engagement that the UK Government has had with these wider issues about smartphone and social media use beyond the Online Safety Act and that will be progress,' he said.
However, Joe Ryrie, co-founder and director of Smartphone Free Childhood, said: 'Josh MacAlister has worked hard to push for legislation that finally starts to protect children from addictive algorithms in the Safer Phones Bill, whilst ensuring the final draft has Government backing.
'So while it's good news that it appears he's got Government support for some measures, let's be honest: the final provisions included are nowhere near enough.'
He added: 'Other countries are already taking bold action, while the UK lags behind. The public are demanding change, and sooner or later, politicians will have to catch up.'
Andy Burrows, chief executive of Molly Rose Foundation, which was set up by the family of Molly Russell, 14, who took her life after being bombarded with self-harm content, said: 'Announcing further reviews is no substitute for decisive urgent action to tackle preventable harm, which can only mean a strengthened Online Safety Act.
'A reworked Act is the best vehicle to deliver both child safety and wellbeing objectives by design.
'Our polling shows overwhelming public support for stronger legislation so it's clear that parents would cheer the Prime Minister on if he chooses bold and necessary action over inaction and further delay.'
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) spokesperson said: 'We are committed to keeping young people safe online whilst also ensuring they can benefit from the latest technology.
'By the summer robust new protections for children will be in force through the Online Safety Act to protect them from harmful content and ensure they have an age-appropriate experience online.
'The Government's response to the Private Member's bill will follow during the second reading of the Bill, as per parliamentary process.'