Mobile phones in schools: what would the Welsh Government’s proposed guidance change – and what does the evidence say?

The Welsh Government is currently consulting (until 2 December 2026) on new statutory guidance intended to create a stronger “national expectation” that schools restrict mobile phone use, while leaving individual schools to decide what works locally.

The proposals follow a recent workforce survey and a national ‘Mobile Phone Use in Schools Forum’, and come amid growing concern about the impact of mobile phones on distraction, behaviour and wellbeing globally.

Although evidence that restrictions reduce phone use and distraction during school is strong, the effects on attainment, physical and mental health, and children’s overall digital use are less certain. This article examines that evidence, the proposals in Wales, and how they compare with policies across the UK.

What is being proposed in Wales?

Wales currently has no national mobile phone ban or phone-specific guidance in force. Governing bodies and headteachers set rules locally, supported by wider behaviour, safeguarding and online-safety guidance, as well as other statutory duties, such as safeguarding duties under section 175 of the Education Act 2002.

Under the draft guidance, all schools would be expected to have a policy restricting mobile phone use. Schools would be required to “have regard” to the guidance when developing their policy, and would also have to justify any departure from it.

The proposed guidance offers five “common models” of restricting mobile phones that schools could enact:

• no phones on the school premises;

• phones handed in on arrival;

• lockable pouches or lockers;

• “never use, never heard”; and

• use permitted only in specified zones or times.

The intended approach is a “national expectation” that mobile phone use is restricted during the school day, rather than a single national model. Policies would need to accommodate individual circumstances and reasonable adjustments, including medical needs, disabilities, additional learning needs, young-carer responsibilities, and the needs of looked-after children.

The draft guidance covers maintained and independent schools and pupil referral units, including school sixth forms but not further education colleges. It states that, when designing policy, schools should take into account “age groups and development stage”.

What does the Wales-specific evidence say?

Following a 2024 petition to ban smartphones in schools, the Senedd’s Petitions Committee concluded that, although evidence of harms associated with smartphones was “compelling and concerning”, the evidence to support a uniform ban in every Welsh school was insufficient. It called instead for clearer national guidance, a framework for school decisions, and continued monitoring of the evidence, as discussed in our May 2025 article.

82% of respondents to a recent Welsh Government-commissioned survey of the educational workforce were in favour of statutory restrictions, perceiving benefits relating to distraction, behaviour management, bullying/misuse, and wellbeing. However, the survey used an open, self-selecting approach, meaning the findings aren’t necessarily representative of Wales’ education workforce as a whole.

Learners’ views present a mixed picture. According to a 2024 survey by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, 94% of secondary-aged respondents took a smartphone to school and 30% had used one in class for non-learning purposes. Most were satisfied with their school’s rules and 62% said smartphones should be allowed in classrooms, citing learning, family contact and safety, while some recognised that they could be a distraction.

How does Wales compare to other countries?

Recent monitoring by UNESCO showed that, as of September 2026, “114 education systems now have a national ban on mobile phones in schools, representing 58% of countries worldwide.”

The position differs across the UK:

• England’s statutory guidance, in force from the start of the 2026/27 school year, says that schools should be “phone-free environments by default”, subject to exceptions and reasonable adjustments.

• Scotland’s non-statutory guidance, updated in June 2026, says restrictions should apply at least during teaching and learning and that schools should consider a whole-school ban. The Scottish Government has committed to legislating to restrict mobile phones, but this has not yet been introduced.

• Northern Ireland’s August 2026 guidance strengthened expectations for phone-free schools with local implementation, with consultation on possible legislation running until mid-November.

Internationally, legal models differ. France’s statutory restriction now extends from nursery age to lycée (ages 15-18). Finland’s statutory restriction applies to lessons only, with schools setting wider rules. Ireland requires primary schools to ban pupils’ use and access throughout the day and post-primary schools to restrict it while retaining flexibility over implementation.

Do school phone restrictions work?

Direct evidence on the impacts of restricting mobile phones is mixed and comparatively limited, often situated within a broader conversation around social media use and screen time. Some studies find positive effects:

• A 2016 evaluation across four English cities associated bans with improved examination performance, particularly for previously lower-achieving pupils.

• A 2026 study in Norway found some reduction in bullying and improvements in some educational and mental-health outcomes, especially for girls.

• A 2024 meta-analysis, published in Education Sciences, identified a modest positive overall effect that was stronger for social wellbeing than academic performance.

Other large-scale research is more cautious.

• The 2025 SMART Schools study, published in The Lancet, compared health, wellbeing and educational outcomes among pupils at schools that restricted or permitted phone use during the school day. Researchers found that restrictive policies substantially reduced phone and social media use during school, but found no evidence of better mental wellbeing or lower overall use.

• Research conducted at Stanford University similarly found less school-time phone use but little immediate effect on test scores, attendance, classroom attention or perceived cyberbullying, although some outcomes did change over time.

• A 2024 scoping review, published in the Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, that mapped existing evidence found that studies differed widely in design, outcomes and definition of “ban”. It also noted a lack of randomised controlled trials comparing pre- and post-ban use.

• Analysis of PISA 2022 data found less distraction where bans operated, but no association with higher academic performance after adjusting for gender, behaviour and socio-economic status.

The clearest conclusion is that restrictions can reduce school-time phone use and distraction. Claims about attainment, wellbeing, bullying, or overall digital use should be made more cautiously as there is yet to be substantive evidence. Although wider research linking problematic screen time or social media use with poorer wellbeing, sleep or learning, such as reports by the OECD and UNESCO, provides context, this research does not in itself show that school restrictions will improve those outcomes.

Implementation matters too. An economic analysis of the SMART school study estimated that an average-sized secondary school spent more than 100 staff hours each week implementing and enforcing its mobile phone policy. Schools with “restrictive” policies, defined as those where recreational phone use is not permitted during the school day, spent slightly less staff time managing mobile phone use compared to schools with “permissive” policies, although the small sample creates uncertainty about the estimated differences.

A 2026 European Commission report concluded that restrictions work better alongside clear rules, pupil involvement, and wider teaching about safe and responsible digital use.

“National direction” with local discretion

Wales’ proposals sit between a uniform ban and the current model of local discretion: statutory national direction, but with schools choosing the model and making necessary exceptions. A key question is not only whether the new guidance to restrict phones in schools will be implemented, but also how the impact of this change will be evaluated over time.

Article by Dr Nyle Bevan-Clark, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament