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The House of Lords has recently supported a measure to prohibit students from using mobile phones throughout the school day. This decision came as part of a Conservative amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which passed with 178 votes in favor and 140 against. This follows closely on the heels of opposition members backing legislation aimed at banning social media access for UK children under 16.
Although Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has previously recommended schools maintain phone-free environments during teaching hours, these instructions were not legally binding. Initial guidance on mobile phone use in schools was issued in February 2024, but Phillipson criticized it as insufficient and updated the advice last month. In her letter to school leaders, she emphasized that all schools should enforce a phone ban for the entire day, including breaks and lunchtimes.
Baroness Barran, the Tory shadow education minister, pushed for this legislative change, highlighting the need to reset both adult and student relationships with smartphones and social media. She remarked, “The flexibility inherent in the new guidance from the government is portrayed positively as giving schools and communities discretion to adopt an approach that suits them best, but the reality for many school heads is that it is the exercise of that discretion that’s difficult, and it leaves schools facing off against pupils and parents.” The amendments will now be examined by MPs as the bill moves back and forth between the Commons and Lords in the parliamentary “ping-pong” process.
Looking ahead, Ofsted will include schools’ enforcement of mobile phone policies as part of their inspections, while the government advises that teachers avoid using their phones in front of students. Ongoing debates have revolved around the appropriateness of phones in school settings and the broader issue of social media use among under-16s. Some leaders, such as Pepe Di’Iasio of the Association of School and College Leaders, express concerns about a total ban, citing that many students rely on phones for medical reasons and for safe travel. At the same time, advocates like journalist Charlotte Ashton argue that a statutory ban would provide much-needed consistency and support for educators, noting, “I struggle to concentrate with my phone in my pocket, let alone a 15-year-old who we’re expecting to concentrate through maths.
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