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Schools in the UK are voluntarily limiting the use of smartphones by students, according to Technology Secretary Peter Kyle. Kyle said that he did not know of any schools in his constituency, located in the South East of England, where devices were used “freely” throughout the school day or in classrooms. Though the government did not legally ban smartphones, it issued official guidance for all schools to implement effective smartphone restrictions. Despite this, the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood says more action is necessary to keep children away from these devices at schools.
In addition, Kyle participated in a joint announcement by the US and the UK about a collaborative initiative aimed at protecting children online. This partnership will establish a joint online safety working group, where participants will share knowledge, research, and study the impact social media has on children. “This agreement will turn the two countries’ historic partnership towards delivering a safer online world for our next generation,” Kyle said. Data and expertise shared among working group participants will assist in establishing better transparency from digital platforms and understanding the effects and threats of digital technologies on children.
The UK government acknowledged that the impact of social media on children and young people has not undergone complete study and research, and said that tech companies are expected to “further and faster” take action to protect children. However, Smartphone Free Childhood claims that immediate government support is necessary to ensure complete removal of smartphones from schools. The UK’s Online Safety Act mandates online platforms to protect children’s safety and apply a range of measures to mitigate risks. While a full implementation of the act has not yet taken effect, guidance for companies on compliance with the new legislation is still being prepared and produced by communications regulator Ofcom
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