A Labour MP is set to introduce a Private Members’ Bill that would require all schools in England to ban smartphones, with the aim of reducing children’s screen time. Josh MacAlister, the MP for Whitehaven and Woking, will present the bill on Wednesday. The proposed legislation would also raise the age at which children can give data consent without parental authority from 13 to 16 and grant additional powers to Ofcom, the communications regulator, to protect children from addictive apps. It would also commit the government to reviewing regulations related to smartphones for under-16s. The previous Conservative government had issued non-statutory guidance on mobile phone use in schools in February.
MacAlister, a former teacher who led a review into children’s social care for the previous government, stated that evidence is mounting regarding the harm caused by excessive screen time among children. He called for legislation similar to seatbelt laws but focused on social media use by children. MacAlister highlighted that other countries are already taking action on limiting mobile phone use among young people and urged for a national debate in the UK.
Several countries around the world have implemented measures banning or restricting smartphone usage in schools. France recently began trialling smartphone bans in its schools, while Italy has banned devices from primary level up through junior high school. Various regions within Spain have also implemented bans on phone use in schools.
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, expressed support for these measures due to concerns about smartphone addiction’s impact on mental health among young people. Kit Malthouse MP and former Education Secretary also voiced support for MacAlister’s bill.
The proposals received some criticism from a government spokesperson who argued that most schools are already effectively managing smartphones’ presence through existing policies and that an outright ban could remove autonomy from school leaders who understand their pupils best.
The Online Safety Act was cited as providing sufficient protections by both current and previous governments; however campaign group SafeScreens argued it does not adequately address screen addiction issues faced by children.
MacAlister’s Private Members’ Bill will be debated next year but may face opposition from Number 10 as they indicated no plans currently exist regarding legislation in this area.