It's time for a national ban on smartphones in schools

Telegraph

9 hours ago

Across the developed world, countries are waking up to an uncomfortable truth: smartphones are harming childhood, disrupting children's education, and distorting adolescence. Their unchecked presence in schools has gone from a novelty to a serious problem. It is one that demands a coherent, national response.
This is not theoretical. In the past fortnight, I have visited schools in both New Zealand and the United States – two countries that have acted decisively to remove smartphones from classrooms. The impact has been transformative.
In New Zealand, where a national ban on mobile phones during the school day was introduced just over a year ago, heads report higher academic attainment, calmer lessons, and more sociable pupils. In one Auckland school, exam scores rose by nearly 20 per cent. Teachers who were once sceptical now say they would not go back.
At a school I visited, in a disadvantaged part of New York City, that had banned phones during the school day, social interaction between pupils and between pupils and teachers created a friendly atmosphere of commitment to a joint endeavour of hard work and educational attainment.
What these schools understand, and what we in England are still debating, is that smartphones are not a neutral presence in a child's life. They fragment attention, fuel anxiety, and crowd out the face-to-face interaction that both education and friendship depend on.
A particularly stark reminder came in a recent report in this newspaper: a ten-year-old boy in Bristol who received over 9,000 WhatsApp messages in a single evening. His school, Blackhorse Primary School, responded with admirable clarity by banning phones entirely. But we should not be relying on the courage or discretion of individual headteachers to confront what is, increasingly, a public health issue.
By contrast, in the United States nearly all States have either passed or proposed phone-free school policies. This is not about ideology. It is a response to overwhelming evidence from schools, parents, and researchers that smartphones are compromising education and child development.
This is not technophobia. Educational technology, properly used, can enrich an education. But the presence of personal smartphones in classrooms does the opposite. It undermines concentration, interrupts teaching, and increases incidents of bullying and online harm. The case for national action is now beyond dispute.
It is also a matter of equity. During my time as schools minister, I visited more than a thousand schools and saw firsthand how the presence of smartphones disproportionately harms disadvantaged pupils. These are the children who most need structure, focus and stability. For them, a phone-free school day is not a luxury. It is a lifeline.
Yet in England, we continue to rely on inconsistent, school-by-school policies. Some local areas such as St Albans and parts of Berkshire are beginning to act. In Southwark, school leaders have written to parents urging them to reduce phone use. These grassroots efforts are admirable but piecemeal. What is needed now is national leadership.
Jonathan Haidt's recent book, The Anxious Generation, should serve as a warning. He documents the collapse in adolescent mental health since the widespread adoption of smartphones. Rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among teenagers, particularly girls, have soared. This is not a passing concern. It is the defining public health issue of this generation.
Polling supports this. A recent survey found that 72 per cent of teachers say phone use is a problem in their school. A third report that it contributes directly to poor behaviour. Meanwhile, 84 per cent of parents believe smartphones are causing serious issues at school. They want action.
Unfortunately, the government's response has been timid, and it's hard not to conclude that the UK government is asleep at the wheel. While the Education Secretary has acknowledged the problem, recognition is not enough. We need a national ban on smartphones during the school day. Whether in leafy suburbs or inner cities, every child deserves the same interruption-free education.
This is not about rolling back progress. It is about restoring the conditions in which children can be children and flourish. A phone-free school is not a punitive environment. It is one in which teachers can teach, pupils can learn, and friendships can be built without digital distortion.
England is behind. New Zealand, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and most of the United States are years ahead in addressing this challenge. We must catch up.
A national ban on smartphones in schools is not anti-technology. It is pro-learning, pro-childhood and pro-mental health. The international evidence is clear. The public support is there. All that remains is for policymakers and ministers to wake up and act.
The Rt Hon Sir Nick Gibb was Minister of State at the Department for Education between 2022 and 2023. He was previously Minister of State (Minister for School Standards) at the Department for Education between 2014 and 2021