South Devon MP gets prime minister's ear on smartphone use

School ban on mobiles said to improve behaviour

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised effective action to tackle the ‘elephant in the room’ affecting children’s wellbeing.

South Devon Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden used her opportunity during Prime Minister’s Questions to ask what he planned to do about mobile phones in the classroom.

She asked him: “Given the government’s desire to improve educational outcomes and the wellbeing of our children, it is ignoring the elephant in the room.”

She said she had hosted a ‘powerful’ meeting with three head teachers who told her that a complete ban on smartphones in their classrooms had had a transformational effect.

“It led to improved behaviour, far fewer safeguarding issues and, most importantly, happier children,” she said. “Will the Prime Minister tell me and the thousands of head teachers who are crying out for this change why his government won’t back them with a ban on smartphones in schools?”

Sir Keir said he had teenage children at school, so he knew it was an issue of concern for parents and teachers.

He went on: “The reality is that the vast majority of schools already ban smartphones. They allow children to bring their phones to school but they ban them in school time and in lessons.

“Of course we will always keep this under review. We are going to take steps that are effective. I agree with the sentiment, and we need to deal with it effectively.”

Last year Mrs Voaden put her name to a private members’ bill aimed at banning smartphone use among schoolchildren.

And earlier this year she went to a meeting of parents in Totnes which heard from the campaign team that helped secure a smartphone ban at Kingsbridge Community College.

She said afterwards: “I’d heard a lot of the evidence before, but it felt very raw hearing it again with a room full of parents who were clearly shocked – and quite fearful – at the kinds of things their kids might see on phones when they go up to secondary school.

“It becomes more and more puzzling to me that the government doesn’t move faster on this.

“Banning smartphones from schools would be the quickest, most impactful measure they could take to improve children’s mental and physical health, improve school attainment and make life happier for both teachers and pupils.”