Smartphones will be banned in schools across England by law under new government plans, Education Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith announced Monday. The move comes as an amendment to the landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill and would create a legal requirement for schools to enforce phone-free environments throughout the school day.
The Department for Education said the amendment gives "legal force to what schools are already doing in practice," noting that the majority of schools already prohibit phone use. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had previously written to schools in January urging them to follow new guidance on the matter. Schools' mobile phone policies will also be monitored through Ofsted inspections starting this month, the BBC reported.
The announcement drew broad cross-party support, though not without political point-scoring. Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott called it "fantastic news," while noting that Labour had previously "dismissed this as an unnecessary gimmick." The Liberal Democrats said they had helped drag the government toward the ban and called for adequate funding to help schools manage the transition.
Not everyone was convinced the legislation would make a meaningful difference. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said a legal ban "doesn't really change very much" given that most schools already enforce their own policies. He called instead for government funding for secure phone storage solutions like lockers or locked pouches, and for tougher action against social media harms that largely occur outside school hours.
