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Mobile phone bans in schools: the current landscape and emerging changes
By Kate Hayes, 5 May 20265 minute read The use of mobile phones in schools has become an area of growing concern. The debate has focused on pupils’ wellbeing, concentration, behaviour and online safety, as well as the impact of smartphones on learning and social interaction during the school day. In response, governments across the United Kingdom have increasingly moved towards tighter restrictions on mobile phone use in schools. Although approaches differ across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, all have adopted a clear direction of travel towards limiting pupils’ personal mobile phone use, particularly during lesson time. Government guidance on mobile phone use in schools On 26 January 2026, the government urged all schools in England to move towards a phone free school day. The guidance published at that time made clear that “all schools should be mobile phone‑free environments by default – anything other than this should be an exception only.” The guidance applied throughout the whole school day, including lessons, movement between lessons, break times and lunchtimes. Importantly, however, this guidance was not statutory. While strongly encouraged, schools were not legally required to follow it, and headteachers retained discretion over their school’s mobile phone policies. That position is now expected to change. What is changing? In April 2026, the Government announced its intention to introduce a legal ban on mobile phones in schools in England, stating that the aim is to “give legal force to what schools are already doing.” The proposal would amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, placing the existing guidance on a statutory footing. On 20 April 2026, peers voted in favour of a Conservative amendment to the Bill, by a majority of 107, to ban pupils from having smartphones during the school day. The detail of how the ban will operate in practice has not yet been published, including whether any exceptions will be required or permitted. As at the date of writing, the amendment has not yet completed all parliamentary stages or received Royal Assent. What this means for schools in England As reported in the Guardian, Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “Statutory guidance will give school leaders the clarity they need to implement a ban, and will remove any ambiguity or differences between how schools approach smartphone policies.” If the amendment completes its parliamentary ...
Opinion | Banning Phones in Schools Is Still a Good Idea, Despite ...
It was, therefore, surprising to many people when a paper this week showed that phone bans had a very minimal impact on student behavior and academics in a nationwide sample of schools.
New study measures whether school cell phone bans actually work
A first-of-its-kind national study looks at the impacts of cell phone bans in schools.
School cellphone bans don't immediately improve academics, large study ...
As of this spring, at least 37 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students' phone use in schools. Teachers and parents typically support the bans ...
