Mobile phones are an increasing part of children and young people’s lives and there has been much attention on the extent to which this is a positive or a negative. On 29 April 2025, Finland passed legislation to restrict the use of phones and other mobile devices during the school day due to fears over their impact on student wellbeing and learning.
On Tuesday 13 May, Members of the Senedd will debate a Petitions Committee report on a petition calling for smartphones to be banned in schools, in Wales, other than in exceptional circumstances.
How many children have phones and take them to school?
In October 2024, a Children’s Commissioner for Wales snapshot survey found 62% of primary school children in Wales owned a smartphone and 77% took it to school. In secondary schools, this rose to 97% learners having smartphones and 94% saying they took them to school. Given these statistics, there have been numerous calls for strengthened government guidance on how schools should respond. In 2023, UNESCO reported that almost one in four countries globally had introduced bans on mobile phone in schools. One in seven countries ban mobile phones in schools by law.
What are the problems with having smartphones in classrooms?
Mental health and well-being
A 2019 report by the UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) found an association between screen-based activities and poor mental health. However, the research was unable to prove a causal relationship. Following on from this, in November 2024, the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology launched a research project that aims to boost the evidence base around online harms. The first stage of the project will examine what methods will best help the government understand the impact of smartphones and social media use on the health and development of children and young people.
Last year, a report by the UK Parliament’s Education Commmittee heard evidence suggesting that screen time has a generally negative impact on the mental health of children and young people. They were told that children and young people are at risk of encountering online harms while using screens. These include cyberbullying, racism, misogynistic abuse, pornography, and material promoting violence and self-harm. The Commmittee welcomed the decision to implement a tougher mobile phone ban in schools in England. They concluded that it was clear that a ban can have a positive impact of the mental health and educational outcomes of children.
Impact on educational attainment
The Education Commmittee at Westminster also heard smartphones and computers disrupt pupils’ learning at home and in the classroom. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) found, on average, 65%of 15-year-olds across OECD countries reported being distracted using digital devices, including phones, in at least some maths class with 59% of pupils were distracted by other pupils using digital devices.
The report suggested that data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) showed a “tangible” association between the use of digital devices in schools and learning outcomes. However, researchers at King’s College London found that when gender, social class and school behaviour were controlled for, PISA data showed that students in schools with phone bans actually had lower achievement across their PISA test scores than those in schools that allowed phone use. They concluded that when considering a mobile phone ban, the relationship between a range of variables – not just student distraction – should be investigated to support policymakers in deciding to implement phone bans in schools.
Pupil behaviour
A Scottish Government 2023 research report on pupil behaviour showed that the abusive use of mobile phones and digital technologies was one of the most frequently experienced serious disruptive behaviours observed or experienced by secondary school staff.
Are there any positive uses of smartphones in schools?
The a UK Parliament’s Education Commmittee's report heard evidence outlining some positive benefits of using digital devices. They were told by the NSPCC that there were significant benefits of being online for LGBTQ+ children. These included the opportunity to create communities and find support from others who may be going through similar experiences. They also said that the use of screens had been credited with a reduction in feelings of loneliness in some children and helping to sustain and build friendships through social media or online gaming.
The Children Commissioner’s snapshot survey found that, as well as messaging family and friends, 45% of secondary school pupils used their smartphone in school for schoolwork and learning. 61% of primary school learners who took their phones to school said that it helped them feel safe.
What’s happening in Wales?
In answer to an Oral Question on 12 November 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle MS, said all schools are currently able to ban mobile phones if they wish. She also said policies on mobile phone usage within the school day are a matter for schools and governing bodies to address.
The use of mobile phones in schools is included in the Welsh Government’s ‘Practical Approaches to Behaviour Management in the Classroom (2012). According to the Children’s Commissioner’s survey, 68% of responses from primary schools had restrictions while 91% of learners in secondary schools in the survey said that they were not allowed to use their phones in class.
What’s happening in the rest of the UK?
In England, the Department for Education published non-statutory guidance on mobile phones in schools in February 2024. This states that schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones and other smart technology throughout the school day, including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime. However, it did also suggest that schools should allow flexibility depending on pupils’ individual circumstances.
In August 2024, the Scottish Government published ‘Guidance on Mobile Phones in Scotland’s Schools’ updating previous advice published in 2013. The new document concluded that a national ban was not “appropriate or feasible”. It said schools and councils could introduce restrictions and limitations if they wished.
The Northern Ireland Department of Education published guidance in this area in September 2024. This stated that schools should develop and implement an approach to pupils’ use of mobile phones that best suits their school context and phase of education. However, it also recommended that schools should take steps to restrict the use of mobile for pupils’ personal use throughout the school day including when not in class.
Did the Petitions Committee recommend a ban on phones?
The Senedd Petitions Committee heard a range of evidence from learners and teaching staff as well as education and health professionals. The Committee heard that along with the negative aspects of smartphone use, children and young people value being able to contact family and that having a phone makes learners feel safe.
The Committee felt the evidence that the harms of smartphones may outweigh the benefits for children is compelling and concerning. However, it believed that the evidence it had gathered did not support a move to a uniform ban on smartphones in all schools in Wales. But the Committee did call for more support for schools to set their own restrictions.
Countries all over the world are grappling with the issue of smartphone’s in schools. It will be discussed further in a Welsh context during the Senedd’s debate on Tuesday 14 May. You can watch that live on Senedd TV and a transcript will be available around 24 hours later.
Article by Sian Hughes, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
