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BBC News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Plan to ban smart phones in schools watered down by MP
The MP behind a bill campaigners hoped would ban smart phones in schools has admitted to watering down his proposals to gain government MacAlister told BBC News he was now "focused on the areas where we can get government support so that we actually get some action in this area".MacAlister, the Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, had earlier said the legislation would give headteachers legal backing to make schools mobile new version of the so-called safer phones bill instead calls for further research, as well as advice for parents on smart phone and social media use by children. The private member's bill will be debated by MPs on Friday when it has its second reading in the House of has been watered down since it was first proposed in October last year. It originally looked to ban smartphones in schools and ban addictive social media algorithms, but will now commit the government to researching the issue further rather than immediate asked about changes made to his planned legislation, MacAlister, a former teacher, said he had "been working really closely with the government" to put forward "practical measures", and was "optimistic" ministers would support members' bills rarely make it into law without government backing but they are an opportunity for backbenchers to raise an issue's have been growing calls to restrict children's smartphone use, including local schools combining to revise their phone policies and parent groups joining forces to delay giving their child a some of those in favour of smartphones say they provide opportunities for child development, including socialising, and there is little evidence supporting restrictions of devices in said the proposal to ban smart phones in schools was dropped from the bill after the government signalled it "was not something they were going to consider". The bill in October 2024 originally included proposals for: a legal requirement for all schools to be mobile-free zonesthe age online companies can receive data consent from children without permission from parents to be raised from 13 to 16Ofcom's powers to be strengthened so it can enforce a code of conduct to prevent children being exposed to apps and services "addictive by design"further regulation of the design, supply, marketing and use of mobile phones by under-16s, if neededThose proposals have been dropped, and the bill is now calling for: chief medical officers to put out guidance on the use of smartphones and social media use by children within 12 monthsthe education secretary to come up with a plan for research into the impact of use of social media on children within 12 monthsthe government to 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 Joe Ryrie, leader of the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, said the final provisions in the bill were "nowhere near enough".The Liberal Democrats accused the government of making "ponderous progress" on the issue, and suggested ministers had succeed in pushing for the bill to be "watered down".MacAlister said he "wanted this campaign to be a campaign of persuasion to put this issue right at the centre of the national debate and bring that debate into Parliament".He added: "I think what we'll see in the government's response to the bill is that they're prepared to take some positive steps forward on this issue and that they're committed to further action and I think that's really positive."Friday's debate in the Commons comes as a report suggested the majority of young people support the idea of placing stricter rules on social media, with more than 60% saying they believe it does more harm than study, from think tank The New Britain Project and polling firm More in Common surveyed more than 1,600 people aged 16 to 24. It found that three-quarters said stronger rules were needed to protect young people from social media harms, and social media was named as the most negative influence on teens' mental health.
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
School ban on phones does not improve grades or health, says UK study
Banning smartphones at school does not improve academic grades and children's wellbeing, a study suggests. Researchers from the University of Birmingham did find that spending longer on phones and social media in general was linked to lower grades, poor sleep, disruptive behaviour and a lack of exercise. But these outcomes did not differ between schools that banned phones and those that did not. The study, published in the Lancet's Regional Health Europe journal, also found that attempts to restrict phone use at school did not lower the overall time children spent on their devices throughout the day. The peer-review study compared 1,227 students and 30 secondary schools. It concluded: 'There is no evidence to support that restrictive school phone policies, in their current forms, have a beneficial effect on adolescents' mental health and wellbeing or related outcomes.' But the research found increased screen time affected the mental health, classroom behaviour, physical activity and sleep cycles of students overall. It said: 'This study therefore provides further evidence of the adverse consequences from increased smartphone and social media use, and that lowering phone and social media use is important.' It added: 'Our data suggest that interventions to reduce phone/social media time to positively influence adolescent mental wellbeing are plausible, but that both in-school and outside of school use should be considered in tandem.' Dr Victoria Goodyear, the study's lead author, told the BBC that school phone bans were not an effective way to tackle the negative impacts of overusing phones. She said: 'What we're suggesting is that those bans in isolation are not enough to tackle the negative impact. We need to do more than just ban phones in schools. The study called for a more 'holistic' approach to lowering phone use among students. It said: 'This approach does not necessarily preclude restrictive school mobile phone policies. But these policies would be linked with a wider holistic approach to adolescent mobile phone and social media use.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Joe Ryrie, director of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood, described the results of the study as 'somewhat surprising'. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It's now becoming widely accepted among the educational establishment that kids having access to smartphones during the school day is detrimental for their ability to focus, for safeguarding, for behaviour, and for students mental health.' He added: 'The report concludes that this issue is much bigger than removing smartphones from schools. This is a critical societal issue that requires urgent attention from parents, from schools and from government.' Ryrie urged parents to delay giving smartphones to their children. But he added: 'Far tougher regulation is going to be needed to make social media platforms safer and non-addictive for kids, because the really stark statistic in this report is that the average daily time students spend on their smartphone was four to six hours. That's a terrifying amount of time for children to spend scrolling and swiping.' Last week the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, rejected calls to bring in a new law to ban phone in classrooms, as she called the Conservative party's proposal a 'headline-grabbing gimmick'. But she also said phones have no place in the classroom and that it was right for schools to take firm action against their use.
