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The debate over children’s access to smartphones and social media has intensified in recent months, with growing concerns from teachers, parents, and experts about how screens are affecting young people’s mental health, behaviour, and ability to learn.
In an article for The Independent, a headteacher in St Albans has branded the situation a “crisis,” describing daily issues in school linked to children’s use of WhatsApp, TikTok, and other online platforms.
Reports of anxiety, bullying, and inappropriate content involving even very young children have sparked calls for urgent change, with many schools, including those involved in the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign, pushing for stricter rules to protect children both inside and outside the classroom.
When we asked for your views on whether smartphones should be banned in schools, 73 per cent said yes, calling them too distracting. Only 8 per cent thought students should be allowed to use mobiles freely, while 18 per cent said they should be banned only during lessons.
This split was reflected in the responses we received from readers.
While some strongly supported a full ban, warning of addiction and falling attention spans, others believed the issue runs deeper and said better parenting, stronger regulation, and more engaging lessons are needed.
Here’s what you had to say:
Better regulation needed
We need far better regulation of the internet at all levels, especially for under-18s. The opportunity for bad actors to peddle poisonous, often dangerous misinformation online is legion.
So start with banning smartphones in schools, and couple that with a strong message to parents explaining why this is necessary and desirable.
As someone who works a lot with computers professionally, when I finish, my desire to "surf the net", as they say, is limited. I would far rather read.
I use WhatsApp as a useful messaging tool with clients and friends, and regard the internet as a very useful reference library. It can have many positives if properly used. This we need to communicate to younger generations, as the dangers of control of people's minds and actions are all too possible.
49niner
Issues existed long before smartphones
Whilst I agree that smartphones aren’t suitable for primary-aged children, there seems to be a lot of selective attention and memory happening here. I was a teacher between 1996 and 2015 in secondary schools and issues with attention, bullying and bad influences were happening before the internet and before smartphones. Misogyny, misinformation, porn and sexual assaults happened in the 80s when I was at school – misogyny and sexual assaults on school premises were probably more prevalent in the 80s than now, as they were ingrained in society at that time.
When I was in my first few years of teaching in the late 90s, most children in secondary school had old-style mobile phones and some used them in class – texting under the table. My desk drawer ended up half full of phones, iPods, Tamagotchis in some lessons because children like to see what they can get away with. After I answered kids’ phones a few times in class and embarrassed them, the number of phones I had to confiscate gradually dwindled.
We need to give children better things to focus on – a more interesting and varied curriculum that gives them a wide range of skills and interests instead of the tedium of sitting in silence in rows of desks and doing unnecessarily frequent testing. Out of school, there need to be a wide variety of clubs and activities where they can go and mix in person.
We also need to make sure parents have the resources, time and skills to be good parents and to give their children the support, education and resources they need to grow up to be well-balanced with a wide range of skills.
Create a child-friendly web space where educational and interest-based content is available – the internet can be a force for good as sites like YouTube have some useful content.
CScarlett
Nationwide school ban needed
I can't understand why there isn't a nationwide ban on smartphones in schools.
There is not one argument I've heard that substantially supports their use in schools, but I have experienced students who appear addicted to their phones. This has serious implications for communication issues with others.
onmyown
Forbidden fruit
What is important is to be open about the use of mobile phones and ensure you know what children are doing with them. Parents can use 'settings' on their child's phone to put time limits on activities and restrict use to certain times of day.
If they are banned, they become the forbidden fruit and parents and teachers are less likely to know what is going on.
R10
Impracticalities
Yes, definitely ban phones in/during the classroom.
It will be a waste of effort and time to ban phones during classroom breaks. The enforcement will be impractical.
MindTheGap
Addiction
Recognise the fact that smartphone use is an addiction. How many of you drop what you're doing when your phone pings? How many of you go on your phone when watching TV, reading or listening to the radio, etc?
How many of you panic and go on an immediate wild hunt when you can't find your smartphone in the house? This is how it works – it's an addiction.
JustMeHere
Social media is the problem
It's not the phones that are the problem. It's social media.
I'd emigrate to any country with an outright ban on social media. It's made society barely worth living in.
Ajames
Parents should take responsibility
How about parents start taking responsibility for their children and stop expecting the schools and state to do so. If you think children are better off without phones, then how about being a good parent and not giving them one, or stop them taking it to school?
Oh sorry, you expect the state to do all of this, like many parents expect the state to potty train their children.
Hairyferrit
It's the educators, not the phones
A smartphone is just a mini-computer. They can be used for many classroom purposes, or completely wasted and used for chit-chat. It's the imagination and creativity of the education professionals that is in question here.
Mobile phone applications for the execution of teacher education curricula will be used in other countries.
Mp
A smartphone is practically a laptop
I purchased my first "mobile" in 1993. It was sufficient to keep in touch with those I needed to. I am not against children having a "normal" mobile phone – it might even give parents a (false) sense of security – but a smartphone is practically going to school with a laptop and spending time on the internet rather than paying attention to what is going on in the classroom.
AlexBR
Ban them
Mobiles are used far too much for bullying. They are not needed during studies or even at break times. The distractions mean the UK is heading towards USA levels of attainment over the next few years. Kids use them for social media or playing games, very rarely for research to help with their lessons, and if they want to do research, there is always the school library. Ban them from schools and other places of learning.
LadyCrumpsall
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