Mobile phones in schools and their use by students has been a contentious topic ever since the first devices started appearing on campus in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Since then, as their capabilities have grown and social media has proliferated, schools and governments have adopted various methods to try to tackle the problems they are thought to cause - from behaviour to bullying.
Often this leads to calls for outright bans on devices, which is seen as the simplest and most effective solution, while others argue that this is too simplistic an approach. But what does the official guidance say, what are schools doing and can research shed light on the best approach?
Banning mobile phones in school: what does the DfE guidance say?
The Department for Education has, in the past, made a lot of noise about giving schools the power to ban mobile phones, arguing that it ensures a distraction-free learning environment.
“By prohibiting mobile phones, schools can create safe and calm environments free from distraction so all pupils can receive the education they deserve,” Gillian Keegan, then education secretary, wrote in a foreword to new guidance published in February.
However, while much was made of this at the time, the guidance is non-statutory and only advisory - and its four proposals stop short of outright bans.
- No mobile phones on the school premises - as it sounds, no devices can be brought to school and any found will be confiscated.
- Mobile phone handed in on arrival - this suggests pupils should hand phones in on arrival before receiving them at the end of the day (it also helpfully notes that schools should be aware students may hand in a phone but still “have another mobile in their possession”).
- Mobile phones kept in secure location, which the pupil does not access throughout the school day - similar to the above but rather than staff collecting them, they are placed in secure bags or lockers so they are inaccessible during the school day.
- Never used, seen or heard - a policy where pupils keep possession of their mobile phones on the strict condition that they are never used, seen or heard - with consequences for breaching this that are sufficient to act as an effective deterrent.
Despite headlines claiming the government is outlawing mobile phones in schools, it is actually up to individual schools or multi-academy trusts to set their own guidelines and reinforce them as they choose.
What about other parts of the UK?
In Scotland, the government has given authority to schools to implement full bans if they wish, but this is not legally required.
“Members will know that I do not currently have the power to ban mobile phones as cabinet secretary,” the education secretary Jenny Gilruth told MSPs earlier this year.
“However, the updated national guidance goes as far towards a national ban as I am currently able to, by setting out the government’s clear support for whole-school bans.”
In Wales, meanwhile, the cabinet secretary for education Lynne Neagle has answered questions about phone use in schools, saying it is for school leaders to decide on the best policy approach.
So what approaches are schools and trusts taking?
Given this mix of options, it is unsurprising that different schools of thought, and therefore different approaches, exist.
Those in favour of a mobile phone ban:
One example is Mark Emmerson, CEO of the City of London Academies Trust and a Department for Education behaviour adviser, who has written in Tes saying he believes a full ban is always required and it is a policy he has implemented since phones first started appearing.
“To me, anything other than a blanket ban during school hours invites behaviour that can lead to significant concerns for young people,” he wrote.
“This ranges from the relatively benign but insidious ‘heads down’ sharing of social media posts when children should be socially interacting and active during breaks, to more concerning behaviour, such as recording others without consent, social media bullying, sharing inappropriate images and the propagation of influencer misinformation.”
Meanwhile, a similar view is taken at Education South West: “Our general position as a trust is that phones are banned in schools,” says Robert Coles, executive headteacher and director of school improvement at the trust.
“We want our pupils to interact with each other. We feel our clear stance supports the mental wellbeing of our pupils.”
Those against outright bans:
Others though, such as the CEO of Turner Schools, Seamus Murphy, have given headteachers in their trusts the autonomy to make their own decision on phones - with interesting outcomes.
He explains that one of the schools takes “what might be viewed as the most ‘relaxed’ approach”; pupils are allowed to use them during break time, but with clear rules around when they cannot be used in lesson times.
This policy came about as a direct result of wanting to tackle issues with phone use, including issues on social media occurring outside school but then having an impact on site.
“Rather than put an outright ban in place during school hours, which clearly would have no impact on phones being used outside the school gates, the school took what I see as a smarter strategic move to look at the behaviour around the use of mobiles,” he says.
This led to the introduction of a programme of education that offers specific support on managing social media, such as cyber-bullying, managing yourself in the online world and avoiding being influenced by extremism.
He says as a result, the number of incidents reported to school staff linked to phones has dropped by 80 per cent and “the vast majority of pupils report feeling safer in school”.
A similar mix of approaches can be seen among international schools, with some opting for campus bans, but others, such as Aiglon in Switzerland, giving students more freedom on phone use within clear times, or establishing locations where use is forbidden.
“We want to teach students the art of self-regulation,” wrote its then deputy school director Tomas Duckling in October 2023.
“Our objective is not to mould students who merely follow orders when they must and then ignore them the moment they can - such as indulging in heavy phone use the moment they leave campus.”
Others have adopted approaches where a pupil’s age affects their phone use, such as at Streatham and Clapham High School, where the rule is that years 7 to 10 face a total school-day ban, but Year 11s and above have more freedom.
“Our Year 11 and sixth form have the social maturity and newly adult brain to be less compelled by the algorithms: they are much more intentional and self-aware about their habits, health and wellbeing,” explains headteacher Cathy Ellott.
Should mobile phones be banned in schools? What the research says
While schools and trust are adopting varying approaches, the fact that phones have been in schools for so long now means there is a small but growing body of research starting to appear about different approaches to their use.
One interesting study appeared in Norway earlier this year which, using data on student grades and regularity of student consultation with psychologists and GPs at 477 middle schools, found the number of girls requiring specialist medical care was 60 per cent less once a ban was implemented.
Furthermore, bullying reduced by 43 per cent for boys after four years of a ban being in place, and 46 per cent for girls after three years.
Another report, meanwhile, claimed students at schools where phones are banned throughout the day achieved GCSE results one to two grades higher than schools without a ban, and the school was more likely to receive an “outstanding” Ofsted rating - although these findings should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Perhaps most notably though, a recent study led by academics at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia looked at 22 different studies on the impact of mobile phone bans and/or restrictions in relation to several key metrics.
The findings? Those who back bans may want to look away now: “[Our findings] showed little to no conclusive evidence that ‘one-size-fits-all’ mobile phone bans in schools resulted in improved academic outcomes, mental health and wellbeing, and reduced cyberbullying.”
Instead, they say it is clear that, given the prominent role mobile phones now play in the world, students need to be taught about responsible phone use - something schools are best placed to do: “We argue that schools are ideally placed for educating and safeguarding young people from the challenges related to new technology.”
