Latest news with #SmartphoneFreeChildhood
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Berkshire parents join smartphone-free campaign
More than 3,000 parents in Berkshire have backed a campaign to not get children smartphones until at least the end of Year comes as two secondary schools, Charters School in Sunningdale and Furze Platt Senior School in Maidenhead, plan to ask students to hand them in at the start of the school "parent pact" has been launched by campaign group Smartphone Free Jane Creswell is part of the group's Berkshire team, and said parents were "deeply, deeply concerned about smartphone usage". She said her daughter, who is now aged 14, only recently got a smartphone, and she had been the only pupil without one since Year 5."There were times when she was pretty annoyed," she said. "The key was talk to her about my reasons."She told BBC Berkshire there were many benefits of not having a phone."My daughter retained childhood, which is something we are taking away from them, when they are stuck inside on technology, that is not suitable for them, watching content that is for adults," she said."It is not appropriate for them... we should be protecting our children."This movement is hugely important and I think most parents you speak to are very onboard."In Berkshire we are really excited to see the change and it's amazing to see schools take the lead." Prof Miranda Pallan, from the University of Birmingham, has been researching phone usage in schools and it was contributing to "poorer mental health and worse attainment".She said: "Our research and others has shown a clear association between the time spent on smartphones and social media by children and adolescents which leads to worse outcomes of mental health, wellbeing and other things like sleep, physical activity and education."It is an issue that we need to address, more needs to be done."We live in a world were we all interactive with phones and social media and there is a very fast paced digital landscape."So, just taking away phones in school isn't going to be enough to address this issue in full, we have to do other things as well." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Thousands in Oxfordshire pledge to keep children smartphone-free
The parents of nearly 4,000 Oxfordshire children have pledged to deny them a smartphone until at least the end of Year is part of the "parent pact" launched by campaign group Smartphone Free group warns that mobiles "can cause a whole host of problems, from triggering anxiety and eating disorders, to opening the door to cyberbullying or sexual predators".It comes alongside calls to ban mobiles in all Oxford schools, though studies are mixed on whether that would make a difference to grades and behaviour. The idea behind the pledge is to have enough parents withholding phones that their children are not left out as only one in their classes without a far, students at 270 schools in the county have been signed up, with Europa School UK in Culham garnering 204 pledges. The group's spin-off campaign Smartphone Free Schools said that a ban on devices during learning hours would "boost learning, protect mental health, improve behaviour, create safer spaces [and] protect childhood."Will Orr-Ewing, who runs the Oxfordshire branch of the campaign and works in education, said that having mobiles in lessons was extremely distracting."The average child in the UK receives 237 notifications per day. If you scale that to a class of 30 kids, that's a phone pinging every few seconds," he said."It's now known that smartphones are heavily implicated in the catastrophic decline in young people's mental health over the past decade."If young people can access inappropriate content and apps during the school day then, unintentionally though it may be, schools are neglecting the welfare of their students."Meanwhile, schools across Oxfordshire are introducing policies to restrict phone at Aureus School in Didcot have to stow their phones in a lockable pouch every day before they enter the school. Reflecting on the change it has made, head teacher Kirsty Rogers said: "It's incredible. The lack of disruption to lessons now is huge."The school's previous policy was to confiscate phones when they were spotted in lessons, but Mrs Rogers said teachers were wary of doing this "through fear of what was going to happen". "Students are absolutely addicted to these phones, and so you don't know how they're going to react to you when you say you need to confiscate them," she said. The lockable pouches were unpopular when they were first introduced, but many students have now said they have got used to them."People used to get sad and angry because of something on their phone," one student said. "But now their presence of mind is in school and they can study better.""When I'm studying, I feel more comfortable leaving it out of my reach and focusing on my education more," another added. Studies are divided on whether prohibiting phones in schools helps studying, by the Policy Exchange found that children at schools with an effective ban achieved GCSE results one to two grades higher than those at other a University of Birmingham study found such bans were not linked to better grades, mental wellbeing, sleep or classroom though, they noted that spending longer on smartphones and social media in general was linked with worse results for all of those conclusion of lead author Dr Victoria Goodyear was "those bans in isolation are not enough to tackle the negative impacts"."We need to do more than just ban phones in schools," she said. 'Everyone is on side' Currently, there is no legislation enforcing a phones in school policy. It is down to individual head teachers what they for Oxford City councillor Jo Sandelson, that is not has put forward a motion to the council calling for it to support an outright ban on smartphones in all Oxford schools for the council has no powers to enforce such a ban, she said "key messages coming out from the city would really show everyone is on side"."Everyone is saying the same thing. These children are better off without the distraction of smartphones at schools," she said. "What Eric Smit, the ex-boss of Google, says is why would we run such a large, uncontrolled experiment on the most important people in the world? Which is the next generation."In March, the government said it believed head teachers already had the power to ban phones in schools, with its official guidance saying "schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones" during lesson time. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Parent groups are hosting fairs that showcase phones with limited features to try and keep children away from smartphones
Parent-led 'Alternative Device Fairs' that showcase phones with limited features designed to protect children from the negative effects of smartphones and social media have been emerging in across the U.S. These devices often include advanced parental controls and AI filters to reduce exposure to harmful content while still allowing basic communication. The fairs also help to foster collaboration among parents and help them push back against the cultural norm that every child must have a smartphone by middle school. Parent groups across the U.S. are hosting fairs to showcase "alternative devices" to keep children from owning smartphones for as long as possible. The fairs, where 'dumb' or restricted phones are exhibited to parents, have been popping up in affluent areas around the U.S., according to a report from The Atlantic. Most of the phones showcased at the event are basic and lack smart features like access to social media. Some are even fitted with AI-powered content filters, surveillance features, or parental controls. These "dumb" phones have been rising in popularity among adults trying to wean themselves off an overreliance on smartphones and parents trying to keep their kids from developing one. One school in the UK, Eton College, has implemented an official policy requiring new students to use basic phones for communication. The market for these kinds of phones is also growing rapidly, with revenue from the dumb phone market expected to hit $10.1 billion in 2025. The rise of alternative devices has been driven in part by growing concerns about the effects of smartphones and social media on children's mental health. Last year, Jonathan Haidt's bestseller The Anxious Generation argued that the smartphone era had triggered a sharp rise in anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. The book's popularity ignited a fierce debate and triggered many parents to reconsider how and when children should engage with technology. The fairs also serve as community spaces, allowing parents to collaborate and challenge the cultural expectation that every child must have a smartphone by middle school. Haidt advocates for this kind of community action in the book. He argues that individual efforts by parents are often ineffective because of strong social pressures. For example, parents don't want their children to be excluded because they are the only ones without phones or social media. Haidt suggests several schemes, including phone-free schools and coordinated action with parents agreeing to delay smartphone ownership or social media use until age 16 or later. A few of these groups have emerged virtually over the year. In the UK, a group called the Smartphone Free Childhood has about 200,000 members. The group helps parents collaborate to keep smartphones out of children's hands for as long as possible, typically connecting parents at the same school to ensure phone-less kids aren't left isolated. In the US, a group called IRL NY (In Real Life New York), a parent-led organization, has also been pushing to keep smartphones out of kids' hands. Their mission centers on encouraging families to delay smartphone use and social media access for kids, advocating instead for safer, more focused alternatives. One of their key initiatives is the "Alternative Devices" program, which highlights kid-friendly phones and watches designed to minimize distractions and enhance safety. These devices typically allow for calling and texting without the full range of smartphone features. This story was originally featured on
Mail & Guardian
28-04-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Push for phone-free schools
An organisation says the devices reduce children's ability to concentrate and learn effectively. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) Concerned parents have called on Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube to develop a national policy to restrict smartphone access in schools so learners can focus on their work and develop socially without the distraction and influence of social media and games. The South African chapter of the global movement 'We're talking about a break from the compulsive lure of their screens and the content that the never-sleeping algorithms serve them,' the organisation's co-founder Kate Farina said. Smartphone-free schools require learners to securely lock away their personal electronic devices — including phones, smartwatches, tablets, and gaming devices — making them inaccessible throughout the academic day. Smartphone Free Childhood has launched a phone-free It provides guidelines on how schools should manage smartphones for educational technology and says 'clear and appropriate consequences should be in place and consistently enforced when the policy is violated'. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, schools have rapidly adopted technology to bridge learning gaps. When lockdowns disrupted traditional classes, many schools shifted to online platforms, using tools such as WhatsApp, Google Classroom, and Zoom. 'My son was in grade 10 during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were unsure if he would have to repeat the grade or have to self-study, and when they introduced classes on Zoom, it gave me some hope that technology could help bridge the gap between lockdown and an education,' one Johannesburg parent, who did not want to be named, said. Smartphone Free Childhood argued that, while technology assisted learners during the pandemic, they were now back to full school attendance and research had shown that unrestricted mobile phone use in classrooms hindered academic performance. A 'The presence of a smartphone and high phone-conscious thought affects one's memory learning and recall, indicating the negative effect of a smartphone's proximity to our learning and memory,' it said. A 2023 report by Unesco, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Since then, countries such as France, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Spain and New Zealand have implemented various forms of cellphone restrictions in schools. A study by the London School of Economics found that banning phones in schools improved test scores, particularly among low-achieving students, but another 'This reduced use in schools with restrictive phone policies did not manifest in differences in the overall time spent on phones and social media or differences in mental health and well-being and other associated outcomes,' it said. Last year, academics at Stellenbosch University surveyed 2 195 It said while many teachers used smartphones as part of the learning process, most of them believed that phone use in class should only be allowed with the teacher's permission. It also cautioned that access to artificial intelligence tools had critical implications for teenagers' learning and cognitive development. 'Teens are also using tools like ChatGPT and Meta AI to generate essays, oral presentations and artwork for school projects. 'There can be little doubt that this trend will rapidly spread in the coming years. 'It is critical that the implications thereof for teens' learning and cognitive development are studied and that appropriate guidelines are developed to guide schools and parents,' it said. On the plus side, smartphones can enhance access to information and facilitate communication, although research conducted by the University of Cape Town showed that their effectiveness depends on how they are integrated into the learning environment. In 2022, the Interdisciplinary Journal of Education In South Africa, the socioeconomic digital divide remains a significant barrier to equal education. According to Statistics South Africa's 2023 But only 14.5% of households had fixed internet access at home, versus 72.6% of households accessing the internet via mobile devices.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Yahoo
School discusses risks of smartphone use for children
Children's use of smartphones was the topic of conversation at an event attended by parents and school leaders on Thursday (April 24). Aureus School hosted the 'Offline and Safe: Rethinking Children's Digital Freedom' event, which aimed to shed light on the risks of unregulated internet and smartphone access for children. The event at the Didcot school, held in partnership with Smartphone Free Childhood, called for a more comprehensive approach to safeguarding children in the digital age, beyond just in-school mobile phone bans. Aureus School's 'Offline and Safe: Rethinking Children's Digital Freedom' event (Image: Aureus School) Aureus School's 'Offline and Safe: Rethinking Children's Digital Freedom' event (Image: Aureus School) Aureus School's headteacher, Kirsty Rogers, has been a prominent advocate for this cause. Under her leadership, the school has implemented a strict mobile phone policy, requiring pupils to lock their devices in pouches during school hours. However, Ms Rogers said: "This isn't enough. Children are having unrestricted access to the internet, and we sometimes forget this is a two-way thing. "You might feel your child is ready for the internet – but are you ready for the internet to have access to them?" Aureus School's 'Offline and Safe: Rethinking Children's Digital Freedom' event (Image: Aureus School) Will Orr-Ewing from Smartphone Free Childhood joined her on stage, presenting statistics on the mental health risks, privacy concerns, and developmental challenges linked to early mobile phone use. The pair suggested delaying smartphone ownership until at least 14 years of age. They also gave recommendations for children who already have a smartphone and how to put in place restrictions and reduce their use.
