Beyond the Ban: The Legal Limitations for Phones in Schools

Image - Crablinks Interactive

As of April 20, the government has decided to progress with the introduction of a legal ban on mobile phones in schools in England. The education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the House of Lords that the government would table an amendment to its Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would make it a legal requirement for phones to be restricted.

The move marks a shift from previous government guidance which left the decision on banning mobile phones down to the discretion of individual schools and their staff.

This would be a more centralised, systemised approach to ensuring phones are not available to students during school times and would mean that staff had a legal duty to ensure restrictions are enforced. How the legislation will be enforced remains up to the schools themselves to decide leading to questions regarding consistency and resources.

The ban was received positively across the political divide, with the shadow education secretary Laura Trott praising the decision as ‘fantastic news for headteachers, parents and pupils across the country’. Trott did, however, frame the legislation as a win for the Conservatives, stating that Labour had ‘finally listened and u-turned’ on their previous refusal to ban phones across all schools. The ban was also commended by members of the Lib Dems and Green Party, with the cross-party consensus demonstrating the widespread concerns about classroom interruptions and excessive screen time.

In Conversation With Teachers

I spoke with those who work in schools across England to gather their thoughts on the current impact of phones in schools and whether they thought the legal ban would have a positive or negative impact within the classroom.

Emma, a music teacher in Birmingham, and Holly, an English teacher in Sandwell, both voiced their frustrations on having to continually deal with phones being used in class:

Emma stated that she felt ‘kids cannot be without their phones for half an hour. Even just having phones off and in pupils’ bags is a distraction because there is a huge temptation to get them out. It’s a constant battle within the classroom that then ends up with more time having arguments and less time learning’.

Similarly, Holly voiced ‘I think that phones in schools have a detrimental effect on students. They are extremely distracted by their phones and cannot concentrate within lessons due to depleted attention spans. If a phone beeps in a lesson, it can throw off the entire session for a few minutes which is a waste of learning time.’

These accounts align with a growing body of research suggesting that even the mere presence of a smartphone can reduce cognitive capacity and attention. A study by Skowrenek et al found that in two study groups, that ‘both attention performance scores (AP scores) and working speed (PTO scores) are significantly lower in the smartphone presence group compared to the smartphone absence group’. This was even when no visible interaction with the phone occurred - merely having the phone on their person or nearby was enough to distract. The government has drawn on this evidence to justify finally implementing a national ban, arguing that improving attainment and behaviour is the key goal.

Holly also raised concerns from her experience that safeguarding issues were not being correctly dealt with due to students using their access to mobiles to contact home before staff can appropriately deal with issues. She described this as ‘very counterproductive’ for schools who then have to deal with an escalated situation. This highlights a less frequently discussed dimension of the debate: phones are interfering with safeguarding processes that are in place to keep children and young people from harm.

Max, a teaching assistant in Hertfordshire, had somewhat of a different experience as his school has already implemented a no tolerance policy for phones within the classroom. At the school gates, students place their phones in ‘hush pouches which block out the signal and they can go and unlock them at the end of the day when they leave school’. However, on a school trip, Max told me his experience was different as students were allowed access to their phones freely. He found that: ‘they were always on their phones with a constant need for stimulation from them. It’s unhealthy and they are borderline, as a generation, addicted to their phones’.

Considering these experiences, the staff response was one resoundingly in support of the bill, as they thought it would lead to less distractions within the classroom and allow them to fully engage in lessons. Holly told me that she felt the ban was ‘a long time coming’ and will ‘help to promote concentration in lessons and a safer environment at school. Pupils will not have access to a camera at any time which can also help to reduce bullying and safeguarding issues.’ She also told me she felt that the ban would benefit staff’s workload as a school wide policy would decrease the amount of time spent confiscating phones and issuing detentions during school and at the end of the day. Max said that ‘based on my school's experiences of not having them, I think it’s a good idea. It’s one less distraction in the classroom. It allows for more focus time and actually gets the students to interact’.

Amelie, a learning support assistant in a school in Buckinghamshire, focused on the impact that the ban could have on students’ wellbeing. She told me she felt that the lowering of accessibility to phones within schools was positive as it will ‘probably lessen the likeliness of social media addiction and general attachment to phones’. Emma also suggested that the ban would mean that students will have the opportunity to ‘hugely develop their social skills as they will be forced to talk to other pupils during their social times and not rely on texting and social media’.

These arguments tap into a broader cultural concern about growing up in the digital age where schools are increasingly seen as one of the few spaces where offline interaction can be limited and protected.

However, Amelie also highlighted society’s general dependency on technology in the current day, with ‘the whole world’ accessible through your mobile phone. Developments in technology mean that ‘just because people could cope in the 90s without them, we are physically not conditioned to now’. Amelie therefore raised concerns about student’s separation from their phone being ‘incredibly anxiety provoking’ as they are so accustomed to having constant access to their devices. It would also mean that ‘parents and children cannot communicate for getting home and safety reasons’ which could be both detrimental to students and carers’ ability to communicate and support themselves.

In Conversation with Students

Similarly, a current year 11 student flagged anxieties about the lack of communication when I spoke to her about her thoughts on the ban being implemented. She said she was concerned that ‘in cases of emergencies, they wouldn’t be alerted straight away and would be unaware of the situation’. However, she voiced that she could also see the positives ‘as students would be more focused on their education and could speak to friends/ other students more’. As someone who would be the intended subject of the bill, she said that ‘I believe they shouldn’t ban them, but they should have access to them at all times by keeping it in their bag’.

Speaking with a current sixth form student who completed their GCSEs last year, I found that his view was in support of the ban due to his frustrations with phones being used during lessons and issues during exam preparation. ‘I think it would have benefitted us during my GCSEs because teachers wasted a lot of time dealing with phones in class. A few people got kicked out or disqualified from mock exams for not putting their phones in their bags. If they weren’t allowed at all, people wouldn’t be tempted to keep them in their pockets’.

Student perspectives reveal a more nuanced picture than can be accessed by just assessing the viewpoints of politicians. Whilst they acknowledge the social and academic benefits, there remains a desire for autonomy and a need to have their phone close to feel they are kept updated by family and friends.

Discussion

Now that the legislation has been confirmed, the challenge is how will schools ensure that the ban will be implemented and how do staff police this so that rules are followed? Holly told me that whilst she welcomed the ban, she did have concerns about the logistics of the ban in regards to ‘consistency and thoroughness of the approach’ across schools. ‘Hopefully schools take proper measures and precautions to ensure a smooth roll out. E.g who will keep the phones during the day? Will there be regular checks by SLT to ensure no pupils have snuck a 2nd phone in? What about smart watches? Will it increase workload for staff who will monitor the regulations?’

It is hard to know whether schools will amend the legislation in practice to allow for concessions or to simplify the process of moving to a complete ban. The Association of School and College Leaders stated that this ban ‘doesn’t really change much’ due to many schools already having their own policies and restrictions. Would schools be willing to change their existing policies and does the ban just formalise existing practice rather than implementing substantive change?

The ASCL called on the government to support the implementation of this legislation by making ‘funding available to schools for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones, such as storage lockers or locked pouches’ something that would not be in the budget for all schools to purchase. Without the appropriate support from government funding and guidance, there remains the risk of inconsistent implementation due to unequal access to resources and funding. Does this mean schools in more deprived areas will get left behind?

Ultimately, whilst the proposed ban has much support in practice from those in the education sector, its success will depend on implementation, funding and support. For many staff, the legislation offers the promise of calmer classrooms, fewer disruptions and greater opportunity for students to engage both academically and socially. However, it is not expected to be easy, with phones so embedded in young people’s lives, teachers are likely to face resistance to implementing the ban and an increase in separation anxiety. The legislation does not only remove a distraction, but will focus on reshaping habits and relationships with technology.

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